Grenfell shortcuts shock head of inquiry

BRITAIN: Incompetence, cutting corners and prioritising costs over safety are rife in the construction industry, a post-Grenfell Tower fire interim review concluded yesterday.

Dame Judith Hackitt, who is leading the review of building regulations, said she had been shocked by industry practices that indicated ‘‘a systemic failure’’ and led her to conclude that current regulatory arrangements were ‘‘not fit for purpose’’.

Hackitt told MPs it was ‘‘extraordinary’’ that although the Fire Service was consulted over building projects, its advice was frequently ignored by contractors and property owners.

She said she had been taken aback by the lack of recordkeeping around building design and changes in specifications as projects progressed; the absence of a rigorous accreditation system for people in important roles, including engineers and fire safety assessors, and that regular fire safety assessments were required but did not have to be reported to anyone. It was of concern that building materials could be switched for a different product on the basis of a secretive ‘‘desktop study’’ rather than physical fire testing.

Hackitt‘s review was commissioned by Sajid Javid, the Government’s communities secretary, in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire in June, which killed 71 people and left hundreds homeless.

A vital question was how it had been possible for flammable cladding and insulation materials to be fitted to the 24-storey block in a £10 million refurbishment project in 2016. The review echoed the conclusions of the coroner who questioned the complexity of building regulations in a report on the Lakanal House tower fire in which six people died in 2009.

Javid said yesterday that the regulatory system was ‘‘complex and confusing’’ and that he accepted Hackitt’s interim recommendations for significant reform.

Hackitt, a former head of the Health and Safety Executive, said: ‘‘I have found that the regulatory system for safely designing, constructing and managing buildings is not fit for purpose. The current system is highly complex and there is confusion about the roles and responsibilities at each stage. In many areas there is a lack of competence and accreditation.’’

In her foreword, she said that there was ‘‘plenty of good practice’’ in the industry but ‘‘it is not difficult to see how those who are inclined to take short cuts can do so’’. She plans to hold a summit next month to drive reforms and wants to deliver a final report within a few months.

She said: ‘‘The mindset of doing things as cheaply as possible and passing on responsibility for problems and shortcomings to others must stop.’’