NEWS
said that the issue ‘requires significant amounts of engineering and construction work which will necessarily take time’. Defending the government response to Grenfell, he stated that it had been ‘immediate and wide-ranging’, with ‘significant resource and effort [having] been injected into removing’ cladding. He did agree, however, that ‘we
will get to a small number of owners or contractors where we will need
to consider more assertive measures, and they are under active consideration at the moment’, while he added that a ‘significant amount of work has taken place’ to change building regulations. Emma Dent Coad, the Labour
MP for Kensington and Chelsea – where Grenfell Tower is located – commented that Mr Malthouse was treating the situation ‘like some sort of theoretical exercise’ adding: ‘People are genuinely afraid
in their beds and just saying that the minister is satisfied is not really enough. Nothing has yet changed, the government is ignoring warnings, our constituents are going to bed afraid, current measures are not working, as one of the Grenfell survivors said, “Grenfell two is in the post”. ‘How many more must die before
the Government takes positive action to keep people safe in their beds?'
ASFP ‘encouraged’ by government’s Hackitt response
IN A statement, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) said that it ‘broadly welcomes’ the government’s response to the review and its acceptance of the recommendations. In December, the government announced that a ‘stronger and more effective’ regulatory framework would implement all of Dame Judith Hackitt’s recommendations, and review building regulation fire safety guidance. Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations and fire safety was launched in 2017 after the Grenfell Tower fire, with its interim review finding that a ‘universal shift in culture’ is needed to rebuild trust ‘among residents of high-rise buildings’. The final report was released in
May, but ‘stopped short’ of proposing a ban on flammable cladding, though the government later said it would open a consultation on the matter. The government’s response had been keenly awaited, and it reported that a ‘stronger and more effective regulatory framework’ will ‘implement the recommendations’ made by Dame Judith, and ‘commits the government to a programme of reform over the coming years’. The ASFP ‘broadly welcomes’ the acceptance of ‘the majority of’ Dame Judith’s recommendations, and the announcement of a review of Approved Document B of the Building Regulations (ADB), stating that it was ‘encouraged’ by the intention to implement all recommendations. It is concerned however about the ‘pace of
lieu of tests, or desktop studies, were ‘quite restrictive’, as well as featuring contradictions for which it will ‘be seeking clarification’. Niall Rowan, chief executive
officer of the ASFP, commented: ‘The Association welcomes the Government’s aim to implement Dame Judith’s recommendations as we strongly agreed with her conclusions; many of which reflect what the fire community, including the ASFP, has been saying for some years. We also welcome the announcement of a full review of Approved Document B, which we believe is long overdue. ‘We are pleased to see support
change’, as the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would ‘only consult’ on many aspects and not until spring 2019. It welcomed the review’s focus
on fire safety in the design process, the mandatory sign off procedures at gateway points in construction and the focus on ‘improving levels of competency’, and noted it has been ‘actively working’ with others in working groups to deliver the ‘overarching competency framework’. MHCLG’s aim to improve testing standards and ‘ensure clarity’ in marketing was also supported, alongside the government’s support for third party certification. On this note, the ASFP believes this should be extended from products to installers because ‘this is where many of the current problems lie’, and thought that the new requirements for assessments in
for third-party certification schemes for fire protection products and look forward to working with Government and other stakeholders to develop minimum standards for such schemes. We also welcome the tightening of the qualifications, experience and training required of those who will undertake assessments in lieu of tests, but will seek clarification as to the scope, particularly for non-building envelope related products. ‘We understand the
recommendations of the Hackitt Review were detailed and wide- ranging, since they called for a complete overhaul of the building regulatory system. ‘We look forward to working with
Government and other stakeholders to achieve the extensive and lasting culture change necessary to ensure the safety of our existing and future built environment.’
www.frmjournal.com MARCH 2019 7
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