A fifth of property experts do not know enough about building safety legislation
A fifth of property experts do not know enough about building safety legislation
A new survey has revealed that over 20 per cent of contractors, surveyors and property professionals have little or no working knowledge of building safety.
The research was carried out by Terminix, the UK's market leader in property preservation. It involved over 250 representatives of building contractors,local authorities, architects, surveyors, engineers and property management firms.
Although knowledge of health and safety issues was high overall, 21 per cent of those questioned had no working knowledge of building safety legislation. In addition, 37 per cent had limited or no awareness of fire prevention and 39 per cent were unaware of the legal issues surrounding the control of asbestos.
Given that the largest proportion of respondents, 49 per cent, saw "new and changing legislation" as the biggest challenge they face, these results are even more worrying.
Frank Kneller, managing director of Terminix UK, commented: "It is good to see that most of those surveyed know about these legislative issues, but there is little doubt the results could and should be better still. The health and safety aspects of building maintenance legislation are vital areas of knowledge for all those involved in the process, whether designing and building the property or maintaining it afterwards. The 'healthy building' is something that is perfectly attainable. Preservation issues such as dry rot, woodworm and asbestos are all treatable by the relevant experts, and more property professionals should understand that. The key is to be proactive and to take preventative approach. Bringing in inspectors early on will help to prevent major problems later."
