Getting it right: Competence, policy and risk management in construction
Lecture
Publication date:
22 May 2025
Last updated:
03 June 2025
Author(s):
Richard Harral, Chief Executive, Chartered Association of Building Engineers
In this Insurance Institute of London (IIL) property webinar, Richard Harral, Chief Executive, Chartered Association of Building Engineers, talked about building competence in the UK building industry, from the Luton Airport fire through to his experience in how insurers could look to evidence of competence within the construction industry to drive risk differentiation.
Starting with a brief review of the Luton Airport fire, the webinar looked at issues of competence in the building industry, the interaction of wider economic policies on risk in the regulatory system, difficulties in differentiation between competent and incompetent entities and how recent legislation is intended to change compliance and improve safety outcomes. This included the new Duty holding regime for clients, contractors and designers in the Building Safety Act. Ultimately, it seeked to explore the question of what evidence of competence the insurance industry needs from professional bodies and commercial organisations to ensure availability of adequate and comprehensive insurance cover.
Learning objectives:
- Economic policies and their impact on risk in the building sector
- The change to compliance and safety outcomes as a result of recent legislation change
- How an insurer might evidence competence within the construction industry