Grenfell Phase II Report – The Impact on PCA Members
Seven years on since the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, the public inquiry established to investigate the fire, published its final report.
As expected, the report was critical of almost all organisations involved in the management, repair and maintenance of the towers, as well as the local council and government.
The report made many recommendations including for government to introduce a:
- single regulator to draw together and be responsible for all government construction functions: an expansion of the new Building Safety Regulator
- single government department responsible for all issues relating to fire safety, instead of this responsibility being spread across three separate departments
- Chief Construction Adviser, with adequate resource and budget, to provide advice to government on activities relating to the built environment, including Building Regulations and statutory guidance.
We shouldn’t forget why the inquiry is asking for these major changes to the way government oversees construction activities: 72 people lost their lives at Grenfell Towers. Those people deserved to live in a home that was safe and secure and relied on those around them, including their management company, contractors and manufacturers, to make sure they were safe.
The series of recommendations were made across several areas which will affect our members including the marketing of products, fire performance testing of products and building control.
Although these recommendations are not law, and will need to be considered by government, the Building Safety Act 2022 has already set out the requirement for anyone working in the construction sector to demonstrate that they have the competence to do so. The requirement for the right skills, knowledge and behaviours for all was further highlighted in the final report:
Safety of people in the built environment depends principally on a combination of three primary elements, good design, the choice of suitable materials and sound methods of construction, each of which in turn depends in a large measure on a fourth, the skill, knowledge and experience of those engaged in the construction industry.
We are working closely with the Industry Competence Steering Group to ensure that for the sectors our members work in, there is an industry agreed path to competence. The first sector we have been asked to focus on is invasive weed removal and thank you to those members who have already volunteered to be part of the PCA-Chaired group. Being involved in these discussions from the outset provides members with a valuable opportunity to collaborate and ensure employer needs are well reflected within the final requirements.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, we have already seen many parts of the industry responding well to the need for change. The implementation of the competence steering group in 2017 is a prime example.
However there is much more we all need to do and the PCA has a role to take on significant responsibility in this. Combined with the work we will be leading on technical competence, we already have the tools to audit our members regularly, to demonstrate technical and organisational competence.
As a responsible trade association, providing members with a mechanism to demonstrate their competence in many areas, will be a focus over the coming years. I hope that members will support this, with the aim of supporting members’ businesses, whilst improving the built and natural environment for all.
Sarah will be chairing a session at the Structural Waterproofing Conference on Thursday 19 September, which will focus on the Grenfell Towers Inquiry and Building Safety Act. Sarah will also be sharing more detail of the recommendations from the report and how they will impact members.