Steve Sadley, chief executive of ARCA and director of ARMI, comments on the CDM regulations 2015
“I am very encouraged to see that the new CDM Regulations have taken a step further towards a safer construction industry. By requiring small and medium size construction businesses to plan and manage health and safety, most of the workforce involved in a construction project now has legal duties under CDM 2015.
Health and safety of the workforce, and also the public, has been and continues to be, essential in the asbestos industry. I have worked in this highly regulated industry for over 25 years and have seen regulations change over that period giving us the industry we have today – a very health and safety critical industry and one of a very few licensed industries.
Asbestos removal contractors need to hold a Health and Safety Executive licence, which includes proving that the workforce is trained to the required level. Many of these licensed asbestos removal contractors are members of ARCA (Asbestos Removal Contractors Association). At ARCA we require a contractor to pass strict membership criteria and are the only body to monitor member’s performance twice a year at on-site audits, as we strive for the highest standards of professionalism and workmanship.
To support the professionals within the asbestos management industry, we joined with two other associations to form ARMI, the Asbestos Removal Management Institute, in 2013.
Membership is for employees of licensed asbestos removal companies who hold recognised qualifications in asbestos management and have direct influence over, and the experience of, asbestos removal work. Their exemplary standards relating to working within the asbestos industry, and health and safety management, needs to be demonstrated at a review meeting, along with evidence of a qualification in leadership and management. This membership process is designed to ensure they have the skills, knowledge and experience to manage projects and also a workforce.
The construction industry seems to be thinking along these lines too.
To quote CDM 2015: When considering the requirements for designers and other construction professionals, due weight should also be given to membership of an established professional institution or body. For example, do these bodies have arrangements in place which provide some reassurance that health and safety is part of the route to membership of their profession.
I can say, with both my hats on, that ARCA and ARMI will continue to encourage like-minded professional people to work together in the pursuit of exemplary standards of health & safety and leadership & management.”
What makes us susceptible to burnout?
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.