Feature Managing risk
report go far enough?
– does the Hackitt
Marc Gaunt By Marc Gaunt, segment marketing manager at Eaton
Following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, few would disagree with the main findings from the Independent Review of Building Regulations by Dame Judith Hackitt. Often referred to as the ‘Hackitt report’, the final copy highlights current flaws in the system, including non-exhaustive proposals, industry ignorance and indifference, lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities, as well as inadequate regulatory oversight. While the report has been hailed as truthful, timely and to the point, the question still remains – does the Hackitt report go far enough?
Understandably, the findings and ongoing
enquiries focus on current building regulations’ primary failings and their contribution towards the catastrophic sequence of events at Grenfell. And as a result, we’ve already seen wider proposals and the start of action that will undoubtedly improve overall standards. However, could these solutions be simply treating the symptoms of one truly tragic event, rather than taking a more holistic approach to building safety to avoid other incidents? Do the proposed changes to building regulations focus too much on what went wrong here in the UK, rather than looking at a comparative view of building standards in other countries? Do they put enough consideration towards the future needs of buildings and their occupants and new technology?
Looking forward
Demographics, working culture and business systems are changing rapidly. As a result, building infrastructure has begun to go through a transformation that hasn’t been seen since electrification. In the past 10-15 years, the electrical industry has been focused – with good reason – on reducing power consumption and its overall carbon
32 fmuk
impact. now, we’re starting to see a major shift in terms of the way energy is both produced and consumed. Some of the possible scenarios that may
well emerge soon include: • Homes will have a three-phase supply, to balance new demand such as EVs and heat pumps.
• Homes and places of work will now be the main places we fuel our cars.
• Homes and businesses will be a prosumer of energy (i.e. homeowners and business owners will produce and generate power).
• Energy tariffs will be dependent upon time of day (even at home)
• Buildings will become larger and more complex
As the world shifts towards these potential
new scenarios, it’s certain that the need for electricity will become greater than ever as populations grow and we continue to reduce carbon emissions further. And this leaves industry officials with an important question to answer – how can technology be utilised to mitigate the risks of increased electricity consumption, changing demographics and more complex buildings? On this, the Hackitt report talks
about implementing layers of protection, preventative care and mitigation (post event). And while this is a good starting point, it’s key to recognise that in this case, a holistic effort is likely to be more powerful. To do this, industry professionals should consider looking at the four stages of an event while highlighting what can be done to mitigate the consequences at each stage. • Prevention – how do we prevent the incident ever occurring?
• Detection – how can we quickly and effectively detect an incident?
• Alert – how can we alert occupants, building managers and services effectively?
• Evacuate – how can we achieve effective, adaptive evacuation as an event develops?
Prevention before reaction
The Hackitt report suggests sprinkler systems, effective compartmentalisation and the use of non-combustible materials as some of the main preventative recommendations. And while these are effective measures in preventing the spread of fire, they don’t protect against the actual occurrence of fire. As was seen in the Grenfell fire, electrical
faults continue to be responsible for more than 25% of fires, on average, every year. Arc fault detection technology, designed to detect high resistance electrical faults, has been used extensively in other countries for some years, including the US where it was deemed to potentially prevent 50% of incidents. In the UK, this technology has only just been recommended this past year – and there are still no mandatory requirements around its usage. Deputy assistant commissioner Andrew
O’Loughlin, who headed up the London Fire Brigade’s response to Grenfell, said he initially believed only one or two flats would catch alight ‘if we were unlucky”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and what happened there is a prime example of the challenging risks that need our full attention. While the Hackitt report is a phenomenal first step in creating awareness, more information, technology and prevention methods must be made a priority. From implementing arc fault detection technology to taking a more holistic approach to prevention, more can be done at this point in order to avoid seeing another tragic event occur here within the UK. Lives are at stake, and the time for change is now.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
