TrustMark’s Chairman
As PR & Marketing consultant specialising in the construction
industry and working on behalf of the Government at the time,
Liz Male was responsible for the award-winning consumer launch
of TrustMark in 2006. She was then appointed Chairman in 2011.
“Having worked within this sector for so many years, I know a
lot about TrustMark and all the individual trades within it. I’ve also
got a background in consumer protection within construction. I
know the issues and am independent,” said Male.
Embedded Health & Safety
“Health & Safety is absolutely embedded into the Code of
Practice for every TrustMark Registered Firm. The Scheme
Operators assess, monitor and collect data on Health & Safety,
but we do not have many complaints about health, safety, waste
disposal or the environment. Where complaints come in about
TrustMark Registered Firms, they tend to be disputes around
money or workmanship.”
While TrustMark focuses on the relationship between
trades and the public, when asked if the scheme also focuses
on the health and safety of the tradesmen themselves, Male
said, “Health & Safety in this sector is all about protecting the
workers as well as the public. Protection of the tradesman is also
protection of the customer. The two cannot be separated.”
It goes on to explain the circumstances that would require this to
happen and what steps the tradesman must take to carry this out
if necessary.
TrustMark into the Future
Initially launched with a lot of funding, TrustMark has since
become self-financing.
“TrustMark currently applies only to domestic trades, what
we call ‘RMI’ - repair, maintenance and improvement - although
we are looking to extend it in future to cover ‘accidental
landlords’,” explained Male. “It is such a low-cost scheme, with
such strong government and industry support, we have also
had interest from abroad.”
Following the scheme’s success, the Government has
written TrustMark into the Industrial Strategy for Construction
‘Construction 2025’, as it recognises the importance of the
TrustMark scheme for its role in improving the reputation of
construction and building positive perceptions of the industry.
For further information about TrustMark, visit www.
trustmark.org.uk
‘Talk to your Tradesman’ App
In June 2012, TrustMar