M&E contractors need to promote diversity, health and safety, good site conditions, welfare and training if they are to attract new entrants to the industry, says construction minister Beverley Hughes.
Speaking at the ECA's annual dinner, Hughes commented: "It is a fact that new recruits are simply not being attracted into the industry. If we are to redress this problem, it is essential that the industry achieves a step change in its culture and its image." Hughes urged ECA members to use the toolkits issued under the DETR's Respect for People initiative late last year, and called for firms to volunteer to take part in trials and to showcase the results.

Hughes also used the dinner to state the government's aim to improve the industry's health and safety record. She welcomed the ECA's plans for an industry site safety week and "the Association's positive work to establish safety standards as a key component of the assessment and qualification of electrical installation firms." On procurement, Hughes thought that the Government's Clients Charter, launched last December, "will provide a major impetus for improvement across the industry." The DETR plans to get enough clients signed up this year to account for 50% of construction procurement.

As for the proposed Quality Mark scheme, Hughes said she would be meeting with the ECA to discuss 'deemed to satisfy' arrangements for its members. "Built into the scheme from the start is the understanding that those trade associations that meet certain requirements of the Quality Mark, especially with regard to the technical criteria when assessed through a site audit, can be listed under the scheme's deemed to satisfy option," she stated.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor