TICA

By Chris Ridge, Technical Policy Manager of the Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA)

The Building Safety Act doesn’t begin and end with Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs). It will have a much wider impact and some aspects will apply to all building types. This includes evidencing that individuals and organisations appointed to undertake work on construction sites are competent to do so.

Competence is already a major talking point among many specialist trades. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to find that specialist trades have been circumvented in a bid to cut costs. For example, TICA has previously raised concerns about pre-insulated pipework systems with inadequate fire safety and thermal properties.

There is an inherent understanding that Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors cannot be experts in every specialist trade required on a construction site. However, Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors will need to evidence that they understand specialist trade competence and specification compliance, and that they are therefore competent to award contracts to specialist trade contractors.

In many cases the expectations placed upon specialist contractors by the Building Safety Act does not currently reflect the situation on the ground. The reality presently faced by many TICA members is that they will either be undercut by a non-spec compliant bid or be encouraged to alter the specification to remain in the race to secure a contract.

TICA is the sole trade association for thermal insulation in the UK and ensuring that our members are well equipped to meet their own requirements for evidencing competence is a key priority. We are also working with other industry leaders to ensure that junctions between trades are managed correctly. Much of this work will be carried out through the specialist “super sector” installer competence initiative.

So, what should a Tier 1 or Tier 2 contractor consider when appointing a thermal insulation contractor? For the thermal insulation industry, the minimum threshold should be:

• Compliance with specification (for example, thickness and type of insulation)
• Correctly Carded Workforce (TICA CSCS Thermal Insulator Card)

We should also expect to see requirements for application specific competence related training in future specifications. An early example of this will be the Heat Network Foundation Course being developed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), the Manufacturers of Equipment for Heat Networks Association (MEHNA) and TICA, with support from the Government.

Trade Association membership should also be considered. After all, a significant portion of the burden of applying competence regimes to specialist trades will fall upon the Specialist Trade Associations – and the members they represent.

How about the contractors who continue to break specifications and employ unskilled labour? The reality is that they are gambling their future success on the premise that “nothing will ever change”. Unfortunately, if they win this bet, then everyone loses.

There is of course an elephant in the room. There is much talk about the “growing skills gap” throughout the built environment sector. The demographics within the thermal insulation industry broadly represent those of the wider sector – effectively showing that with a large proportion of workers are now in their fifties and sixties, we are in a race against time to train a growing number of skilled workers over the next ten years.

TICA is addressing this challenge head-on. Through initiatives such as “She Insulates Too”, TICA has been working innovatively to recruit apprentices from demographic groups that have traditionally been overlooked by the built environment market. We are significantly increasing our apprenticeship intake figures year on year – with an unprecedented 120 apprentices on our programme during 2023. This number includes eight female apprentices.

As we face the twin challenges of readying our industries for compliance with Building Safety Act and addressing skills shortages, we can clearly see that the two are intrinsically linked. Closing the skills gap with unskilled workers is simply not an option. This all adds up to a significant undertaking for the whole built environment sector and for many specialist trades and it is often the Trade Association that is best placed to take on the challenge.

ENDS

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF TICA

For further information call Andrew Douglas 01325 363436

Photo Caption: Chris Ridge, Technical Policy Manager at TICA

Editor’s Notes

TICA is the sole trade association representing the Thermal Insulation Industry and the only provider of the industry’s Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard for Commercial Thermal Insulation Operative and Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard for Industrial Thermal Insulation Technician.

Based at its National Training Academy in Darlington, the Association works closely with industry ensuring the training it provides meets the exacting standards and level of competence required of the sector.

https://tica-acad.co.uk/tica-home/