Salix Homes announced among first tranche of companies to be awarded BSF Champion status

Salix Homes has been named as one of the first housing associations to be awarded Building a Safer Future Champion status, having successfully completed BSF’s new building safety culture change assessment scheme.

Building a Safer (BSF) has announced the first group of organisations to be awarded BSF Champion status and Salix Homes is one of nine organisations from across the UK to be awarded the Champion status, and one of just two social housing providers.

The BSF Champion assessment process gives companies detailed insight into their existing leadership and culture around building safety and equips them with actionable data and practical tools to help review and upgrade processes, driving meaningful and measurable improvement in leadership and culture around building safety, and in doing so, help rebuild public trust.

Sue Sutton, Chief Executive at Salix Homes, said: “Salix Homes is committed to doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of our customers and our buildings. As a small landlord of 8,000 homes and 19 tower blocks in Salford, we’re proud to be leading the way.

“However, this has never been about accreditations or being the first past the post. This is about doing the right thing for customers. The BSF Champion status marks another step forward on our building safety journey, and another step towards ensuring that people living in high rise and high-risk buildings are safe, and feel safe.”

Dame Judith Hackitt, Chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and Chair of the Industry Safety Steering Group said: “Every journey of culture change starts with an open and honest assessment of where you are today. All of the companies who have achieved Champion status have shown the courage to look at themselves and understand the steps they need to take to improve and are now embarked upon that journey. Their leadership and the benefits they can demonstrate already from setting out on this journey should be a wake-up call to everyone else to get onboard.”

Following the Grenfell tragedy, Salix Homes signed up to become an ‘Early Adopter’, working with the Government and other decision-making bodies to help test new ways of working, which would then shape the new building safety regime.

Steve Elliott, Non-Executive Chair of Building a Safer Future, added: “I want to congratulate the companies achieving Building a Safer Future Champion status today. You can take real pride in the leadership you are showing in committing to a journey of continuous improvement in building safety. You have taken meaningful action instead of waiting for regulations to change, which should encourage many more organisations in the industry to follow the excellent example you are setting. I wish you all well on your continuing journeys.”

 Status Awards were presented to the successful companies at the Culture Change in Construction: Leading Building Safety Conference that was jointly hosted by UK Construction Week, Building a Safer Future and the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) on Thursday 23 March.

This high-level one-day conference focused on showcasing and sharing learning and best practice from companies at the forefront of driving culture change in their organisations through the BSF Champions programme.

Salix Homes’ Building Safety Team were presenting at the conference to share our building safety journey with the wider sector.

Building a Safer Future (BSF) is a non-profit organisation committed to raising standards in building safety and to support required culture change in the built environment industry.

The organisations that have achieved Building a Safer Future Champion status include:

• Salix Homes
• Barratt Developments Plc
• Galliford Try
• Hill Holdings Ltd
• Martin Arnold Ltd
• MHS Homes
• Morgan Sindall
• Orion Fire Engineering Ltd
• Persimmon Homes Ltd