Spec Finish

FIS review 10 www.thefis.org M Yfirst rugby coach, Murray, (a gruff New Zealander), reminded me before every game “win, lose or draw, make sure you leave nothing on that pitch – that way, you can always look your teammate in the eye and the beer will taste better.” When our membership looks back on 2020, I hope they see an FIS team that has upheld the values that define our community, an FIS that left nothing on the pitch. It’s been about community… 2020 has felt like a bruising encounter with the All Blacks – it has come at us from every angle and, when it has hit, it has been big, quick and a bit scary! Circumstance has necessitated FIS making cuts, cancelling events, repurposing resource and rolling with the punches. But this has always been secondary to the challenge our members have faced. The strain on our community has been palpable and unprecedented and we tried to lighten that load where we could, to provide clarity through our daily alerts/COVID Hub/webinars and be an understanding voice at the end of the phone. We have held close our responsibility to provide clarity and leadership and to Iain McIlwee, Chief Executive, FIS listen carefully, representing your views and concerns on to Government and the wider construction sector. It’s been about worker safety… Our approach has always been about putting people first. We are grateful to all members who gave time to support our H&SWorking Group, assessing the 107 close proximity tasks for our H&S Task Assessment Toolkit, a key resource in our H&S Toolkit. The new FIS Best Practice Guide, Recommendations for the Safe Ingress of Plasterboard has been added to our H&S Toolkit. This new guide was a direct response to concerns raised through our Drylining Working Group and will help to reduce risk of musculoskeletal disorders. It’s been about building safety… The unfolding Grenfell Inquiry has further shattered trust in the sector and significantly impacted insurance availability and premium. We have supported the Industry Response Group looking at how we deliver, measure and manage a competent workforce. We have produced targeted factsheets to address common problems raised through our working CHANGING THE GAME... FIS conference 2019