FIRE SAFETY - 21.06.2018

Fire safety review findings

Remit. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, Dame Judith Hackitt (H) was appointed to carry out a review of building regulations and fire safety (see The next step ). This identified various problems, from ambiguous legislation and guidance through to unclear roles and responsibilities, and concerns being ignored.

Future reform. H has proposed a complete overhaul of the system of regulation for building standards. The priority will be residential buildings more than ten storeys high, with greater control being taken over their design, construction and maintenance. Although the initial focus will be on tower blocks, the changes will have a wider remit. It’s likely that they will extend to all construction and refurbishment projects.

Control. H recommends the formation of a new joint competent authority to check each phase of a construction or refurbishment project before allowing the builder to move on to the next. In short, the plan is to make the requirements of the building regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 match up.

Ongoing management. Plans include appointing an identified duty holder for the safety of buildings after occupation, an independent route for residents to escalate fire safety concerns and a more effective product testing and labelling regime.

Tip. It will be some time before legislation and guidance change. However, all those involved in regulating the construction industry are very keen to avoid the blame for future tragedies. Be prepared for more robust enforcement of existing construction standards by Building Control, the HSE and the Fire & Rescue Service.

For a copy of the report Building a safer future, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 16.20.01).