Three building-control firms have been sanctioned after failing to comply with the Approved Inspectors Code of Conduct.
Building Consents Ltd and Integral Building Control Solutions Ltd were each given a “minor” sanction by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on Thursday (10 October) for failings that included, respectively, not following the law and not acting honestly.
Meanwhile, Harwood Building Control Ltd was given a “moderate” sanction by the Construction Industry Council Approved Inspectors Register (CICAIR) on 25 September – although the sanction was only published on the government website last week (8 October).
The companies were sanctioned by separate organisations, as the Building Safety Regulator, part of the HSE, took over from CICAIR as the entity overseeing building-control bodies and registered inspectors on 1 October, following a transitional arrangement.
None of the three sanctioned companies have been banned from carrying out approved inspector services, unlike PWC Building Control Services, which entered liquidation after having its Approval Notice withdrawn in August.
However, Canterbury-based Harwood Building Control has been warned that it will face a higher-level sanction if it does not remedy failures relating to site inspections and the communication of records relating to building-control performance standards.
It was found that Harwood Building Control failed to: act honestly; avoid actions that were inconsistent with its professional arrangements; act with professional skill and diligence; comply with building-control performance standards; pay due regard to best practice; and uphold the reputation of the profession.
The company, which had an average of 24 staff during its latest reported financial year, works on “commercial, domestic, large or small” projects, according to its LinkedIn page. Details of its breaches of the Approved Inspectors Code of Conduct have not been published.
Harwood has been ordered to apologise to the parties that complained about its conduct and to provide training to all of its technical staff in relation to the code of conduct, with specific reference to site inspections and the recording of them.
Cheshire-based Building Consents has been given 30 days to provide the HSE with a report setting out its remedial actions addressing a range of issues, including internal audits, the appointment of more staff, peer reviews, technical training, accompanied inspections and procedures prior to the issue of a final certificate.
An HSE disciplinary panel found that the company failed to: comply with all relevant laws; avoid situations that are inconsistent with professional obligations; provide an appropriate standard of service; act with professional skill or diligence; and pay due regard to industry best practice.
The company had an average of 17 employees during its latest reported financial year and has worked on schemes including NHS buildings, a 40-home mixed-use building and a university museum, according to its website.
Meanwhile, Integral Building Control Solutions was found to have failed to: act with honesty; provide an appropriate standard of service; act with professional skill or diligence; pay due to regard to industry best practice; and uphold the reputation of the profession.
The Wakefield-based company had an average of 17 employees during its latest reported financial year, and has further offices in Manchester, Milton Keynes and Oxford. The firm received a letter of warning about its conduct.
