August 2020

NFRC Tech Talk
ROOFERS: STAND OUT FROM THE
CROWD WITH ROOFCERT
The requirement for contractors, installers and all in the supply chain to demonstrate
competency is only going to increase. With this in mind, James Talman, Chief Executive of
the NFRC, explains how roofers can ensure they’re ahead of the game with RoofCERT...
Demonstrating competency is going to
become increasingly important for
roofing operatives over the months and
years ahead.
The government recently introduced legislation to
create a Building Safety Regulator in response to
the Grenfell tragedy. This new body, which will be
managed by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE), will be responsible, amongst other things,
for implementing a new more stringent regulatory
regime for high rise buildings.
However, critically it will have a crucial role in
overseeing the competence of all involved
in the construction industry, not just
those working on high rise
buildings. Alongside this, the
Competency Steering Group,
which was set up by industry
and government following
Dame Judith Hackitt’s report on
Grenfell, is working on an
overarching competency framework, for
those working in the built environment. NFRC sit
on Sub-Group 2 of this wider group that is looking
at the competency of installers.
Also contained in this legislation is the creation of
a New Homes Ombudsman – this will be a
disputes resolution service for owners of new
build homes to hold developers to account for any
defects, and pay compensation where applicable.
This, along with public pressure, will mean house
builders will be increasingly focussed on the
quality of workmanship of their supply chain. We
know from warranty bodies that roofing is one of
the highest areas of concern for housebuilders
“It is no longer
enough for an
operative to
just rely on
the number of
years’
experience they
have or to have an NVQ”
and so it is likely this will be an area of focus.
For the domestic sector, Competent Person
Schemes will soon have a new Mandatory
Technical Competence document for
all operatives working for a
contractor registered with a
scheme such as
CompetentRoofer. This will align
with expectations from Building
Control over standards of work.
Demonstrate competency
Operatives across all parts of the construction
industry will, therefore, find themselves being
asked to demonstrate their competency to satisfy
employers and clients. It is no longer enough for
an operative to just rely on the number of years’
experience they have or to have an NVQ; further
accreditation is needed to demonstrate ongoing
competency. Fortunately, the roofing industry is
ahead of the game and already has a scheme to
do this in RoofCERT.
If an operative has at least three years’
experience, they can sign up to start the
RoofCERT journey to accreditation now. We have
Left: James Talman, NFRC Chief Executive.
2,000 funded places and are
urging roofing operatives
across the industry to get
started. We are also
encouraging roofing contractors to
sign their teams up.
We have recently made some changes to the
process for operatives through digitalisation. We
are now accepting and signposting online health
and safety awareness courses, which form a
crucial part of accreditation. We will also soon be
introducing online examinations. These won’t and
can’t replace in-person training and exams but
will mean that we can reach more roofers than
ever before, especially during these turbulent
times where Covid-19 remains a risk.
We are also working with some major industry
bodies to raise awareness of RoofCERT amongst
house builders and main contractors, so that this
becomes the industry standard that clients and
roofing contractors look for in operatives.
While the wider construction industry looks to
establish new accreditation schemes to meet the
requirements of the Building Safety Regulator,
RoofCERT already exists and is here and ready to
accredit thousands of operatives. If you would
like to find out more, please contact the team
through our website
https://www.roofcert.co.uk/recruitment
Contact the NFRC
020 7638 7663
www.nfrc.co.uk
@TheNFRC
16 TC AUGUST 2020