Building for the future
According to the HSE 2.2 million people work in Britain’s construction industry making it the country’s biggest industry. But it is also the most dangerous. In the last 25 years, over 2800 people have died from injuries they received as a result of construction work. In the period 2008/2009, 180 workers were killed on total – 53 of them from the construction industry. In total, a further 132,000 other work related injuries and illnesses were reported.
The construction industry is also responsible for an estimated 120 million tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation waste each year – around one third of all waste in the UK. According to WRAP, more than 25 million tonnes is sent straight to landfill without any form of recovery or reuse.
So, whether you are a client, an architect, a planner, a building contractor or a manufacturer of building products, your activities will be having an impact on society and the environment.
Sustainability lies at the heart of construction – the objectives being to create buildings that are healthier for occupants, people in the neighbourhood and the natural environment, use fewer resources and are cheaper to run. Indeed buildings are now being measured for their environmental performance under schemes such as the Code for Sustainable Homes or the BREEAM schemes.
Benefits of developing sustainably
Developing sustainably can bring a number of benefits including:
- More efficient use of resources including water, electricity and materials
- Better management of waste and minimisation of waste disposal costs
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- Greater compliance with legislation
- Increased operational efficiency and therefore profits
- Better relations with your stakeholders including employees, suppliers, customers, shareholders and regulators
- Competitive advantage when it comes to tendering for new business
Developing sustainably
In order to improve the sustainability of your organisation you will need to:
- Understand what the risks are to the continuity of your organisation’s activities
- Identify and understand what your own organisations impacts on society and the environment are
- Put measure in place to minimise those risks and impacts
- Reduce the risk of accidents and incidents occurring
- Consider whether your suppliers meet your requirements for more sustainable building materials and services
- Train your staff
Your organisation – Help from BSI
Standards provide the tools to help you understand and address the people, planet and profit elements of developing sustainably and the tools to bring these systems together to ensure a balanced and enduring approach.
Standards for sustainable development in construction
The standards that are applicable to the construction industry include:
Plus other product related standards for building products such as windows, doors, roofing, cement and concrete, masonry, wastewater and drainage products, waterproofing materials, flood defence products, polymeric pipes, plumbing and heating products, timber and board products, glass, ceramic tiles and road products.
Help from BSI
BSI can help you by:
- Providing guidance documents and publications to help your understanding of these standards
- Providing training courses ranging from a one day introductory course to a five day lead auditor course and courses in business improvement tools such as Six Sigma and Lean to help you train your staff and facilitate the behavioural changes needed to improve performance
- Directing you to reputable consultants through our Associate Consultants programme
- Conducting a gap analysis to assess how well you are progressing in implementing the requirements of the above standards
- Providing you with a software solution to managing your management systems through our Entropy Software tool
- Testing and certifying your products to the standards that define product specifications
Being able to prove that you meet product specifications and the requirements defined for management systems and products can mean the difference between you and your competitors. BSI can give you better access to markets through:
Third party assessment and certification
Third party assessment and certification is the independent assessment of an organization’s implementation of a management system standard and the issue of a certificate of registration. This certificate can then be used to demonstrate your compliance to these best practice standards to managers, customers, shareholders, regulators and employees.
For further information on the assessment and certification process for each management system standard is contained on the relevant product page.
Pre-Qualification Requirements
As the first certification body to be approved as a member of the Safety Schemes In Procurement Forum (SSIP), certification to BS OHSAS 18001 by BSI also means that organisations can now demonstrate that they satisfy the health and safety pre-qualification requirements for other schemes that are also registered members of the SSIP Forum such as CHAS, NHBC and Exor.
Product testing and certification to the CE mark and the Kitemark
Many products are now expected to meet national, European and international specifications. Indeed, manufacturers may not be able to sell their goods in the UK unless they can demonstrate they meet these standards.
Kitemark
The Kitemark is the best known, most trusted and recognised quality certification mark in the construction sector and has been so for many decades. Products displaying the Kitemark help customers and specifiers to identify quality, reliable products and at the same time gives manufacturers an advantage over their competitors. The Kitemark is also accepted in several countries outside the UK, where it is held in high regard as a quality mark. This means you could save considerable time and cost in getting your products to market – perhaps ahead of your competitors.
CE marking
As a Notified Body to the construction products directive 89/106/EEC, BSI offers complete CE marking services. CE marking for products falling under this Directive is a legal requirement for manufacturers wishing to sell or transport their products in Europe.
For further information on Kitemarking and testing services for construction products see our testing pages: http://www.bsigroup.com/en/ProductServices/Construction/
Why choose BSI?
- BSI is a world leader in Standards, assessment, certification, verification and testing
- We have a worldwide network of assessors with management systems assessment experience at your disposal
- Our ability to undertake complex, multi-national, multisite, process-based assessment work is second to none
- BSI has the capability, specific strengths and knowledge to assess management systems
- By choosing BSI, certified organizations will be able to use and benefit from BSI’s logo, which holds UK Superbrand status and the Kitemark logo – the best known, most trusted and recognised quality mark
Borras Construction Case Study
Borras Construction part of Borras Group Holdings Limited, was founded in 1980 and is a leading provider in the property refurbishment, new build, repair and maintenance markets across London, the Northern Home Counties and South Midlands. It has extensive experience in both public and private sectors, and a 28 year track record of completing projects on time and within budget.
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ACO Case Study
ACO is the world market leader in the design, development and manufacture of surface water drainage. ACO has an extensive portfolio that offers quality solutions across a broad spectrum of applications from light domestic to heavy duty use. The group has over 40 years experience in channel drainage installation. There are more than 5 million metres of ACO products installed in the UK – and more than 100 million metres worldwide.
ACO’s objective is to maintain its position as market leader in surface water drainage by being innovative and maintaining a high level of product quality and environmental awareness. ISO 14001 Environmental Management, ISO 9001 Quality Management & BS OHSAS 18001 Risk Management ACO manufactures polymer concrete, steel, cast iron and plastic products and is well aware that a company’s environmental performance can have a significant impact on its success. The latest standard ACO has achieved is the environmental management system, ISO 14001. This certification demonstrates high environmental standards, compliance with legislation and has helped reduce costs and improve efficiency. Download Case Study
Morgan Lovell
Morgan Lovell is the UK’s leading office interior design, fit out and refurbishment specialist. One of the company’s core services is the provision of energy management solutions to its customers. Morgan Lovell believes that the implementation of an energy management system such as BS EN 16001 is a powerful means of demonstrating to its customers that the company is monitoring and managing its own energy usage and is working to best practice in terms of environmental performance. Download Case Study
TARMAC IS FIRST TO ACHIEVE BES 6001 CERTIFICATION WITH BSI
Quarrying and construction products market leader proves commitment to social responsibility and improving sustainability of the built environment.
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BSI BECOMES FIRST HEALTH AND SAFETY CERTIFICATION BODY TO JOIN THE SSIP FORUM TO MEET CDM REGULATIONS
BSI is today announcing that it is a formal member of the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) forum and is the first BS OHSAS 18001 certification body to achieve such recognition. The SSIP forum was set up for the construction industry to reduce the bureaucracy involved with registering for multiple health and safety pre-qualification schemes such as CHAS, NHBC and EXOR amongst others.
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Responsible sourcing of construction products
With the Government’s increasing focus on sustainable development, it has made clear commitments to lead the construction industry in improving standards and performance in the built environment. As a result those involved in designing, supplying and building the public sector are under more scrutiny to find ways to prove that their buildings are built with sustainability in mind.
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