History lessons
into watertight compartments to reduce the chance of sinking if the hull is breached, and the MCA wants all existing boats to be retrofitted with these features. However, because introducing these
measures for historic boats would prove to be costly, some owners have resisted, while claiming that the vessels would then become commercially unviable.
Grenfell Tower fire
Two years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, and a year and a half on from Dame Judith Hackitt’s report5
– commissioned by the government
following the fire to make recommendations on the future regulatory system – a similar situation exists. Alongside a proposed change in control process and associated record keeping requirements, Dame Judith recommended what she called a ‘golden thread’ of information to ensure the transparency and compliance of fire safety equipment maintenance in residential buildings. Despite this call, the housing industry is slow
to adopt these recommendations, or make any real progress on those set out by the report. Shockingly, most residents of existing large residential buildings are no safer than they were before the fire, so with the introduction of new legislation by the government, there is a hopeful outlook that this will change.
The Marchioness disaster is a warning from
history that complacency, such as that seen since Grenfell, can continue to fester and prevent us from taking steps to ensure that history does not repeat itself. This cannot be allowed to continue, particularly when considering the devastating effects of the fire.
Unfit for purpose
Compliance processes are not currently fit for purpose, with many authorities and landlords having very little oversight of the safety equipment in their properties or of how effectively such equipment is being maintained. Landlords are also completely confined to the contractors who control their records (of which many vary in quality). Some contractors are still using paper based systems, whilst others have digitised their records – but both offer no insight into the bigger picture. Lives depend on essential safety equipment being implemented and properly maintained, and within the expiry dates. The risks of poor compliance and change control cannot be overstated. The reputations and indeed freedom of those responsible all depend on the due care and diligence taken to protect these residents.
At the end of the day, it’s the landlords who
are ultimately accountable and responsible, whilst fires can, and often do, happen.
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com APRIL 2020
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