Public service building control ‘vital’ during COVID-19 crisis

19.03.2020

Press Release

LABC’s Chief executive, Lorna Stimpson, has described public service building control as a vital element for local councils and emergency services in their COVID-19 preparations and has called on the government to recognise this in their advice to emergency planners.

Overall, the UK building industry employs some 3.3 million people in the UK – roughly 10% of the working population and, to put it in perspective, more than six times as many people as agriculture. A large proportion (40%) are self-employed and there are more than 200,000 small businesses vulnerable without sustainable cash flow. There are currently tens of thousands of building projects in progress – including new homes, extensions, conversions and retrofitting to deal with climate change.

Building control operations are a vital part of the building industry and we will help and support SMEs, traders and professionals trying to navigate their way through the immediate impact of COVID-19.

LABC Chief Exec Lorna Stimpson

Public sector building control employs around 3,700 surveying and technical staff – responsible for the enforcement of building regulations, public safety and dealing with dangerous structures and working with the Fire & Rescue Services. A significant amount of this work is essential to making ongoing building projects safe, secure, weathertight and habitable.

View the LABC COVID-19 resources page

During the emergency, local authority building control teams will be risk-assessing their inspections on sites and establishing how to minimise any contact that could spread the virus. Also, LABC is testing a new App to enable surveyors to work with contractors at a distance whilst complying with the requirements of LABC’s national management standards.

Commenting, Lorna Stimpson said, "Building control operations are a vital part of the building industry and we will help and support SMEs, traders and professionals trying to navigate their way through the immediate impact of COVID-19, and onwards through the resulting economic shock. LABC members who put themselves on the front line over the coming weeks and months have all my respect and LABC will support them in any we can."

Also read

View the COVID-19 resources page

Coronavirus update from Chief Exec Lorna Stimpson: We're open for business

Comments

Key workers?

Submitted 4 years 8 months ago

Are LABC officers formally recognised as key workers by the government? This will affect free school/nursery cover, so that we don't have to take time off for childcare if partners work for NHS etc

Ateb

Reply to key workers

Submitted 4 years 8 months ago

Hi there,

Thank you for your question. We're afraid that this will depend on the type of work the individual surveyor is likely to be called upon to carry out and if that actually is an essential service, for example, attending a dangerous structure. It may also vary by local authority. Perhaps you could speak to your school as to their policy and whether or not they can accommodate you.

Kind regards

LABC

Ateb

Urgent update required please following pm’s announcement

Submitted 4 years 8 months ago

Given my poor experiences of public behaviour at work today, and the PM’s announcement tonight - please will you urgently Update and rethink the risk we pose the public our colleagues ourselves and families - we are effectively a vector for this virus - this industry is putting everyone at risk - As a builders daughter, I fully support and am aware of the impacts this will have upon this industry and their families, having gone through recession after recession with no support from anyone, however my dad was horrified that people were still working at great risk - this is crazy STOP NOW we will get through this.