At a recent Council meeting of its members, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) elected Paul Bussey and Philip Baker as the new Chair and Deputy Chair of the CIC Health & Safety Committee.
The CIC Health and Safety Committee provides a forum for health and safety representatives of CIC member institutions and to meet, shape policy, discuss initiatives and develop responses on behalf of CIC and built environment professionals.
Prior roles of Bussey
Paul Bussey, who was previously Deputy Chair of the Committee, is an Architect and Senior Technical Consultant at AHMM Architects and has worked in architectural practices globally for over 40 years, on many types and sizes of projects in a variety of architectural and construction roles.
Paul is pioneering the way for the RIBA to embed the new Building Safety Act
Paul has specialist expertise within the fields of Fire Engineering, Construction Design and Management (CDM), Accessible Design and the application of Building and other Regulations. Paul is pioneering the way for the RIBA to embed the new Building Safety Act extended role of Principal Designers into everyday architectural practice by his authorship of a book on CDM 2015 and developing and delivering courses for active Architectural Principal Designers. He is also currently a visiting lecturer on CDM and Fire issues to 10 UK University Schools of Architecture.
Design Risk Management process
Paul Bussey said of his appointment “I have been a member of the Committee for some 15 years and coming towards the concluding chapter of my career I have been energized with a wish to use my experience to embed the findings of the Grenfell Tower disaster and the Building Safety Act into the Built Environment in general. Being the CIC Health & Safety Committee Chair and working with CIC I hope to help to make a substantial improvement to our industry for the benefit of all."
"The Principal Designer role was always intended to reside with the active “principal” or “lead” designer with knowledge and control of all aspects of the design and hence pioneering the “Design Risk Management” process. There is of course a place for Building Regulations and CDM advisers, alongside other specialist consultants on many projects to assist the dutyholders with holistic design delivery. Working with the CIC, RIBA CIAT, the HSE and other organizations, together with the PI Insurance industry, I hope to establish a functioning industry that recognizes the Cultural Change that is very much required.”
Importance of design and construction health
Philip has 40 years of venture in the construction sector spending over a quarter of a century
Philip Baker the new Deputy Chair, who currently sits on this CIC Committee representing the Institution of Structural Engineers, is a senior industry practitioner and trainer. Philip has forty years of experience in the construction sector spending over a quarter of a century embedded in CDM-related matters. He has delivered, advised and supported all the duty-holder roles. Philip specializes in improving outcomes for construction workers and has been involved in setting industry standards in the UK and Europe. Philip is a former president of the Association of Project Safety (APS) and sits on their Board.
Philip Baker said of his new role “This is an exciting opportunity for me to work more closely with Paul to continue to drive forward on the work of CIC and in particular to champion the importance of design and construction health and safety risk management among built environment professionals through the work of their professional bodies. The competency framework that has come from the tragedy at Grenfell Tower gives CIC Members an imperative to stand back and revisit the guidance that they provide to their members and CIC Health and Safety Committee are delighted to be able to help them to deliver consistent standards across this, one of the most important industry sectors in the country.”
CIC Health and Safety Committee
The Health and Safety Committee is CIC’s longest standing Committee which has a regular membership of around 30. In addition to the main committee, there are also smaller sub-groups that consider specific areas such as education or technology and innovation.
CIC Chair Justin Sullivan welcomed both appointments saying; “I am delighted to welcome both Paul and Philip into their new roles within the CIC Health and Safety Committee. One of the great strengths of CIC is its broad reach across the built environment professions and Paul and Philip bring a wealth of experience to these new roles. Health and Safety is paramount in our industry and the work of the Committee is crucial in bringing the sector together to ensure we keep everyone safe. I would also like to thank Gary Mees for his tenure as Chair and for all his hard work over many years.”
