Leading manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is supporting a new initiative to raise the level of fire safety standards worldwide. The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition – led by a range of professional bodies worldwide – aims to develop a set of common high-level standards to address fire
While, on the one hand there is reason for industry celebration, with the average salary of UK surveying professionals now being at the highest point it has been in nine years (up 7.1% across the sector as reported by RICS & Macdonald & Company), there are growing concerns as to
Leading manufacturer Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is supporting a new initiative to raise the level of fire safety standards worldwide. The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS) Coalition – led by a range of professional bodies worldwide – aims to develop a set of common high-level standards to address fire safety in buildings. Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings endorses the aim to set and reinforce the minimum requirements professionals should follow to ensure building safety in the event of a fire. Bob Glendenning, global fire engineering manager for Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, said: “We wholeheartedly support this initiative to improve the standards for fire safety across the board from design through the fire engineering process. With our own developments in technology and science, we are continually looking at ways of improving product specification to meet the most exacting of standards.” The IFSS Coalition says that as the property market has become increasingly international with investments extending across national borders, the sector still lacks a consistent set of high level global standards that informs the design, construction, and management of buildings to address the risks associated with fire safety. Once the standards are developed, the IFSS Coalition will work with professionals around the world to deliver them locally. The standards will be owned by the IFSS Coalition and not by any one organisation. The IFSS Coalition will create a Standards Setting Committee that will draw on a group of international technical fire experts to develop the details and ensure they are fit for purpose across global markets. Members of the IFSS Coalition include the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), Local Authority Building Control (LABC), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM), the Singapore Institute of Building (SIBL), the Australian Property Institute (API), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and The World Bank. Sherwin-Williams has supplied its diverse range of fire protection coatings to a number of landmark construction and engineering projects including London’s The Shard, Azerbaijan’s Flame Towers, and the Leadenhall Building, known as The Cheesegrater.
While, on the one hand there is reason for industry celebration, with the average salary of UK surveying professionals now being at the highest point it has been in nine years (up 7.1% across the sector as reported by RICS & Macdonald & Company), there are growing concerns as to the continued gender pay gap holding women back from succeeding in a surveying profession. At present, the gender pay gap for industry entrants sits at 28.7%, with male property professionals earning circa £7000 more than female property professionals on average. Though the 7.1% increase for 2016 is notable, and welcomed by the sector, the slow speed at which the gender pay gap has reduced is news not so welcome to women across the industry. It is true that the gender pay gap has closed marginally, reducing from 27% to 25.9% over the last year on average, yet, for those aged between 18-22 the gap sits at a colossal 28.7% which will no doubt be dissuading aspiring female property professionals. As a result, there are parties across the industry clamouring for action to be taken, raising awareness of these concerning figures, reducing some of the barriers to entry for aspiring female professionals, and, in effect, creating a far more balanced workforce built upon talent, not gender. One of the highlighted ways in which companies can work towards this is through more inclusive practices that support all of the workforce, not solely a small majority of it. As such, RICS has launched its very own Inclusive Employer Quality Mark, urging employers to place inclusivity at the heart of their organisation, much like safety, sustainability or local community integration. Urging firms to sign up and display their dedication to such inclusivity, Justine Wallis-Leggett, RICS Equalities Manager commented that, until commitment to change is displayed by within the wider industry, it is highly unlikely that we will see any real change in figures such as these any time soon, highlighting this will only support the, “Subsequent drift of talent away from our sector.”
