FMB and ECA comment on the final report of the Grenfell Inquiry
Posted by: electime 4th September 2024
The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report sets out how a chain of failures across government and the private sector led to Grenfell Tower becoming a death trap.
The damning final report of the Grenfell Inquiry has shown the need for competence but there is still a great deal of work to do, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Brain Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) said: “While the nation’s local builders are, for the most part, far removed from work that has been investigated as part of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, it does not mean they are precluded from improving industry standards. Domestic builders do not have minimum competence levels; they are not a protected profession like plumbers or electricians. If industry and government are serious about delivering competence, then introducing minimum standards for entry into domestic building work is a must – this is competence from the ground up”.
Berry continued: “The new government needs to turn away from a culture of cutting regulation, which in part has led to poor building safety, and license domestic builders, underpinning the building regime with minimum standards. Why should homeowners not share in the safety net implemented post-Grenfell? Without minimum standards, unregulated or ‘dodgy’ building work will continue, and the industry will not shake off its poor reputation, which is driven by rogue operators plying their trade free from consequence”.
Berry concluded: “However, where government has tried to regulate domestic builders, through the Building Safety Act, mostly for work involving building control, they have only outlined high level requirements without any underpinning competence. This has left builders confused and worried about committing to work they feel they may no longer be competent to do. The new Government must address this immediately, so industry has clear guidance”.
Close examination of the factors that contributed to the tragic Grenfell Tower fire has reinforced the importance of competence as a key factor in the safety of electrical and other installations – and ultimately, the safety of those living in the buildings ECA Members help to create.
ECA and the Fire and Security Association (FSA) made a number of influential representations to the initial Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and several subsequent reports, having listened closely to industry concerns over competence and safety.
ECA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Eldred said:
“Today’s report once again shines a spotlight on the imperative for improved standards of competence in the built environment.
“Thanks to stronger collaboration across the electrical industry in recent years, we undoubtedly find ourselves better placed to meet these higher standards than most other installer sectors, even if there is more still that needs to be done.
“Through ECA’s active participation in the Construction Leadership Council, Working Group 2 and the British Standards Institute, we are also doing all we can to assist improvements across the entire built environment – including pointing to good practice examples in the training, assessment and certification arrangements which the electrical industry already has in place.”
ECA Director of Technical and HS&E Mike Smith said:
“We welcome changes made to the Building Regulations, particularly duties to employ competent organisations and individuals, ensure collaboration within design and construction teams, mandate reporting of compliance and safety issues, and professionalise consent and approvals processes.
“Enforcement of the rules has historically been a weak spot. Which is why we strongly support the introduction of the Building Safety Regulator, to oversee changes and deploy a strict regime for higher risk buildings that continues through the life of the building.”
