The impact on recruitment for Building Safety Managers

In the light of recent legislation the need for specialised roles such as Building Safety Managers(BSMs) and other compliance-driven professionals has changed considerably. 
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There are over 10,000 residential tower blocks in the UK comprising 4,813 social residential buildings and 5,301private residential buildings. In the public sector BSMs are legally required to be employed by local government authorities and housing associations and are not only responsible for housing but also hospitals and schools. In the private sector, BSMs are employed by property management companies, construction companies and real estate development companies. 
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Reporting to an Accountable Person (AP), usually the owner of the property, or the person who manages it, BSMs have a wide and varied range of duties including:
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·        Overseeing safety systems and implementing safety protocols, particularly concerning fire safety and structural integrity

·        Conducting risk assessments to highlight potential hazards

·        Managing and maintaining safety equipment and systems 

·        Liaising with managers, property owners and regulatory authorities

·        Developing and overseeing emergency response protocols and safety plans

·        Educating tenants on safety procedures

·        Coordinating maintenance and safety inspections

·        Training maintenance and management staff 

·        Staying updated on the latest safety standards and regulations to ensure best practice.
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The role of BSMs has evolved beyond recognition in response to recent legislation and requires these professionals to have advanced knowledge of building safety protocols, fire regulations and risk management among many other things. This reshaping of the role has led to heightened demand for suitably qualified and experienced people and both the public and private sectors are experiencing shortages of them.
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How can owners and managers attract and retain BSMs?

In the face of stiff competition for suitably-qualified people owners and managers can adopt several strategies to attract and retain BSMs.
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The first is to offer a competitive salary structure that reflects the importance of the role, as well as the raft of qualifications, experience, and ongoing CPD that it requires. Together with a competitive salary, decision-makers should consider offering a range of benefits such as agile working, the potential for flexible working, an essential car user allowance and a pension scheme. 
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The second is to offer essential training. If your ideal candidate hasn’t yet achieved their Fire Safety Certificate for Construction or their Diploma in Building Safety Management from the Chartered Institute of Building but has many of the other necessary qualifications and experience you require, it may well benefit your organisation to offer them the training they need to be able to perform the role to the best of their ability. 
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Other training opportunities might include qualifications from the Institution of Fire Engineers or the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to broaden the BSM’s range of skills.
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If your potential candidate has all the necessary skills and qualification but is hesitant about their abilities to communicate with residents or commercial tenants, consider a communications course that will enable them to get their messages across in a sensitive and engaging manner.
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Ongoing training can be a great incentive to join an organisation so think about offering leadership training, membership of professional bodies with the opportunities to attend conferences and events, technology courses and even less traditional training courses such as drone piloting which can assist greatly in safety assessment.

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This is a section from our FREE eBook 'How to Navigate Regulatory Impacts'. If you would like to download for free click here.

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