Interim Report on Grenfell

Following the fire at Grenfell Tower in London, Dame Judith Hackett was asked by the government to undertake an independent review of building regulations and how they relate to fire safety.

The aims of the review were to make recommendations to improve the regulatory system, while providing further assurance to residents that the buildings they live in are safe.

Her interim report, Building a Safer Future, sets out the review’s findings to date.

In the review Dame Judith has identified that the current regulatory system for ensuring fire safety in high-rise and complex buildings is not fit for purpose.  It’s very complex and responsibilities are not clear.  The review says that problems lie in the culture of the construction industry and the effectiveness of regulators.  The effects of the broken system are felt through the entire lifecycle of these buildings.

Those having construction work done shouldn’t just rely on the building inspectors to ensure things are as they should be.  Clients need to keep control of their contractors, ideally through regular checks provided by a clerk of works to show that the building is being constructed to the designer’s specification.