The Committee’s Disability and the


Built Environment demanded action from the government to reform public procurement, put fiscal initiatives in place and champion best practice in a “coherent and transparent strategy” to ensure buildings and public spaces are more accessible for people living with disabilities.


It put the challenge squarely in the lap of the Department for Communi- ties and Local Government, but we – as an industry – must acknowledge that much of this comes back to us. The report pointed out the difficul- ties current built environment design creates for disabled people: Many workplaces are difficult to access and the housing choices available to someone with a disability are ex- tremely limited. The fact that many public spaces are


completely inaccessible to many peo- ple has a huge impact on the quality of life of many UK citizens and puts us, as a country, in breach of our own Equal- ity Act (2010), which was supposed to address many of these issues. The government already has pow-


ers at its disposal to improve accessi- bility in the built environment but it doesn’t use them well, according to the Committee, who called for better political leadership through: • Making it clear that inclusive design is a statutory requirement, not just a 'nice to do'; • Revising and clarifying national planning policy so that it complies with the Equality Act; • Future proofing housing standards and raising the mandatory minimum to Category 2, the equivalent of the former Lifetime Homes standard for all new homes; • Incentivising employers to improve existing workplaces with accessibility in mind;


• Amending the Licensing Act 2003 so that public spaces and facilities are properly accessible.


Disabled people have the legal right to fully participate in society – this was enshrined in the Disability Discrimina- tion Act more than 20 years ago. However, if the built environment effectively locks them out then their rights are being infringed – and we need to change the commercial cul- ture of our industry to put that right


because this issue will only get bigger. Incentives


No-one is suggesting this is easy for engineering companies to address – with or without greater government incentives. It is a hugely complex issue that goes much further than people with physical disabilities to in- clude the impact our buildings have on people living with mental health and neurological conditions. However, we can do better – we need to be more ambitious and to stretch ourselves both technically and morally. Digital technology is a major enabler and we must make best use of it. Both the technology and the con- struction industries are suffering from skills crises. There is therefore an undisputed business need to tap into the widest possible talent pool to ensure that the UK is adequately re- sourced with appropriate talent for fu- ture industrial needs and remains a key participant in a rapidly changing global market. Simply put, people are the most im- portant asset of any company. For companies to succeed in the global marketplace, they must make the most of the full range of their people. Companies must attract and retain the right skills, the best minds, all the re- quired resources – and that means di- versity. Maximising the potential of a workforce through diversity is, there- fore, not only a social imperative, but it also delivers competitive advantage. As an industry, if we won’t embed


diversity and inclusion within our con- sciousness, we may find that the question is not: ‘Does construction/engineering discrimi- nate?’ But, rather: ‘Does the next gen- eration of talent discriminate against construction/engineering’. We keep telling people that diver- sity matters. Now let’s prove it. www.theBESA.com


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Humidification and Evaporative Cooling


www.heatingandventilating.net June 2017 


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