Every day more and more people are realising the extent to which personal health and well-being can be affected by the quality of the environments we use and occupy. These can be indoors, such as in our homes and workplaces; or outdoors for travelling to and from work and for recreation; as well as in the countryside and farmland beyond the urban fringes.

Perhaps you are looking for on authoritative source of technical guidance and expertise. Or, maybe, you would like to acquire, verify or improve your own level of technical expertise through the Institute of Specialist Surveyors and Engineers (ISSE) industry-leading Gold Standard Register™ ‘All-Life’ qualification and competence assessment programme?

Then again, if you are a manufacturer-approved installer (or are planning to use one) you need to know that it will soon be a legal requirement for competence validation through a professional institute. Participation in the ISSE qualification and competence assessment programme can help to ensure that this industry-wide requirement is met.

The ISSE can now support its members and the general public well beyond the limitations of traditional ‘built environment’ thinking to include a more expansive ‘holistic’ approach to what we now describe as ‘Managed Environments’. This provides for full-spectrum consideration of all aspects of a problem or situation, from multiple inter-related Planet, Personal, Property and Project perspectives.

The launch of our new website has been designed to coincide with this and we look forward to welcoming you there: www.isse.org.uk

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster 5 years ago it was determined that UK construction was “not fit for purpose”. Consistent with its mission to raise standards in the pursuit of excellence across the full range of construction and built environment activities, ISSE has developed and will shortly launch its ground-breaking ‘All-Life’ qualification and competence assessment programme  that can take you from “Basic to Boffin”, all the way up to Level 7+.

Whether you are a tradesperson, professional or even a more forensically inclined ‘Building Pathologist’, ISSE’s tiered ‘All-Life’ Certification, Diploma and Competence model is an industry first. Even as a DIYer or enthusiastic amateur (or helpful partner), entry-level awareness training can provide valuable insights to what you should expect from others you may choose to pay for their product and service provision.

Anything less than a holistic approach is almost guaranteed to end in tears. Choosing to work with people who have a limited ‘silo’ perspective serves no-one’s best interests. Afterall, who knew that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has advised that all painted material should be assumed to contain lead and that, when disturbed, women and children are most vulnerable to its many (invisible) toxic effects? This is essential knowledge that certainly seems to have escaped the majority, if not all building trades and related service providers, including asbestos-related contractors and even health and safety advisors.

As they say, “You don’t know what you don’t know” – but we probably do and, if not, we’ll find a specialist who does!

So, how about visiting www.isse.org.uk right now to learn more about how we can do our best for you?