Considerate Constructors Scheme

Considerate Constructors Scheme

One of the conclusions of the 1994 Latham Report, ‘Constructing the Team’ was that the Construction Industry had an image problem.Indeed Sir Michael Latham went so far as to describe the industry as ineffective, adversarial, fragmented and incapable of delivering for its customers.

In 2017 there's evidence things are starting to get better thanks to initiatives like the Considerate Constructors Scheme, set up shortly after Latham in 1997. It developed a Code of Considerate Practice with the intention of improving the image of construction by promoting best practice in five key areas;

• Enhancing the Appearance – constructors should ensure sites appear professional and well-managed
• Respecting the Community – Constructors should give utmost consideration to their impact on neighbours and the public
• Protecting the Environment – Constructors should protect and enhance the environment
• Securing everyone’s Safety – Constructors should attain the highest levels of safety performance
• Caring for the Workforce – Constructors should provide a supportive and caring work environment

Registration with the scheme is voluntary. For a fee, sites, companies and suppliers may be inspected by a monitor, described as an experienced industry professional, in order to obtain a Certificate of Compliance.

The monitor will carry out inspections to perimeter of the site, access to the site offices and the facilities provided for the workers on site and will fill out a relevant checklist dependant on whether it is the site, company or supplier being inspected. After the initial check, further assessments will be carried out as necessary on an annual basis.

A checklist is used by the monitor to carry out their initial checks and for the annual assessment to make sure that construction sites are adhering to the Code of Considerate Practice.

The checklist includes 10 questions for each section, with different wording and types of questions depending on what is to be monitored. The Monitor will only carry out inspections through the construction phase and depending on how many of these items are confirmed as being addressed, a credit for each section is obtained.

To achieve conformity through this review a minimum of five points is required in each section and the four compulsory items in each list must be addressed.  If a pass is obtained, the site will receive a Certificate of Compliance, membership to the nationally recognised CCS and the rights to use CCS branding. Performance Beyond Compliance certificate could be obtained if seven points or more is achieved. To obtain the higher marks innovation would be required on the site, by the contractor and supplier to achieve these additional points.

CCS has issued an updated Site Registration Monitors’ Checklist which came into effect on January 1 2017 and is available at their website to download at www.ccscheme.org.uk

As part of this update two areas requiring improvement have been added to the checklist with two additional questions for each area.

The first additional area identified to be checked is the legitimacy of the workforce and these are monitored using the following two questions:-

• Are there processes in place to ensure subcontractors (and subsequent subcontractors) are conducting right to work checks?
• Are physical spot checks conducted to ensure minimum standards of right to work checks are taking place within the supply chain?

The additional area identified to be checked is the legitimacy of the workforce and these are monitored using the following two questions:-

• Is the company a CLOCS Champion?
• Is this site operating to the requirements of the CLOCS Standard?

Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS)

It was found that in London alone between 2008 and 2013 that of all the cycling fatalities, 55% of those involved a heavy goods vehicle. As such the construction logistics industry decided to improve their industry and to do this they identified three work streams.  These streams allowed a road safety culture and management of work related road risk to be addressed.

A CLOCS Standard for construction logistics for managing work related road risk has been issued and should be followed just as the Code of Considerate Practice is on sites.

Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme Standard (FORS)

A similar scheme that has been updated with regards to safety of fleet vehicles which impacts the construction industry as there is a vast number of vehicles on site or continually travelling to and from sites delivering materials. Although this is a voluntary scheme it is becoming more evident in tender qualifications. The FORS Standard has been updated on 1 March 2017 with the issue of (version 4.1)

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a scheme that has been introduced to define four basic quality standards within four areas of the industry and they are:-

The operators would receive an accreditation (Bronze, Silver or Gold) based upon their fleet size and the level of attainment based upon measures and actions they have taken to improve the safety of their vehicles and their operation.  The key requirements needs to be reviewed and updated at least every 12 months or if changes occur within the operators business that has an impact upon working arrangements, employees or equipment.
 

NBS have included updated clauses and guidance to incorporate these latest changes to the Considerate Constructors Scheme in our NBS specification tools and details will appear in forthcoming updates.