The Building Safety Regulator published a Culture Change framework & guide that aims to support people working in the built environment to drive industry improvements.

The framework was developed to address the systemic failures and a broken and fragmented built environment industry culture, identified by Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower. While the review instilled new regulatory reforms, it also highlighted a culture of shifting responsibility and unclear accountability, along with a willingness to prioritise profits over safety.

Culture refers to how people think, feel and behave as they undertake their role, interact with colleagues and make decisions that affect the lives of other people. It could involve calling-out bad behaviours, ensuring competence in themselves and others or pushing for higher outcomes in the work that they do.

Through this tool, the Regulator wants to speed up the progress on changing the mindset and behaviours of industry, or ‘industry culture’, and drive up the safety and standards of buildings to prevent future tragedies from occurring and restore public trust.

This framework is intended to act as a guide to help industry understand what ‘good looks like’. Developed in consultation with industry, it shows the five drivers of good industry culture (Awareness, Accountability and Leadership, Competence and Conduct, Collaboration and Communication and Consistency and Sustainable Change). The remainder of the document sets out what behaviours contribute to positive industry culture. All professionals working in the built environment are encouraged to use the framework to drive a culture that supports safe, high quality buildings for everyone.

The document will be a useful complementary resource to the Industry Task and Finish Group guidance document that is due to be published and that APS has been driving forward in a cross sector collaboration.

The document is available from the BSi Competence Hub: framework and an insight piece. The BSi Competence hub will allow you to get engaged in wider industry discussions on the framework. Alternatively, you can access the document here.