FOCUS
Take action Tracie Williams outlines what landlords and
building managers must learn from Grenfell, in light of the ongoing inquiry and reviews
being investigated on three fronts – through the coroner’s inquests, via a public inquiry and by the police. Even though these have yet to conclude, it is already abundantly clear that lessons must be learned from Grenfell and, with the recent publication of the report arising from phase one of the inquiry1
T , strong themes
are beginning to emerge. Among the most pressing of these is the
need for building owners and managers to act swiftly, and pay very careful attention to the testing and surveillance of crucial safety equipment. In the inquiry’s first phase report, chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick has outlined the themes that demand further investigation and that will be covered in phase two. These themes include the testing, choice and design of materials used in the building, as well as the installation, use and maintenance of crucial safety elements including sprinkler systems, fi re doors, lifts and the smoke extraction system. Sir Martin also points out that the failure
30 MAY 2020
www.frmjournal.com
HE GRENFELL Tower tragedy was the worst residential blaze since World War II and ultimately claimed 72 lives. It is currently
by multiple parties over a period of years to comply with, or ensure continued compliance with building regulations and related safeguarding legislation played a key role in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Perhaps most importantly of all, he explains
how all parties involved in Grenfell had clearly failed to learn from a previous comparable fire at Lakanal House in Camberwell, south London, in July 2009. In other words, history has shown that it’s not enough to pledge to learn from previous events, as Grenfell has shown with terrible clarity that lip service is not enough, and that without innovation and ‘out of the box’ thinking, the current inertia surrounding building regulations and fi re safety will persist. This observation has also been made in
various reports and publications made since the Grenfell fire. This is not good enough. It’s time to change.
Innovation supports regulation
For all of the reasons outlined above, the second phase of the inquiry will have major
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