Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 10 THE door industry journal winter 2022 Industry News The Need to Move from Compliance to Leadership in Building Safety Peter Ashworth, Specification Sales Director at ASSA ABLOY Door Hardware Group, argues that the built environment industry needs to move from a place of compliance to one of leadership when it comes to building safety. In light of the recent series of reports on building safety from Dame Judith Hackitt and the Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG), it is clear that more needs to be done to accelerate culture change in the built environment industry so we can move from a position of compliance to one of leadership. The reports have set into motion a number of new acts and frameworks based on the ISSG’s recommendations. However, for the prescribed changes to have any impact, there must also be a change in mindset when it comes to building safety. Here’s a breakdown of four ways in which this needs to happen. 1. Whole-life costs One fundamental change that is needed is to move away from the culture of purely cost-based decision-making. While it is tempting for decision-makers to try and save money wherever possible, this change in mindset will play a crucial role in driving culture change throughout the built environment industry. By taking a long-term view of decisionmaking – which prioritises the quality, performance, and longevity of a solution – we will all be moving closer to the industry culture that the ISSG is advocating for. Indeed, this is not only preferable from a safety point of view but often turns out to be most cost-effective in the long term.
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