The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a report on the progress made by the industry to improve building safety, in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
The report sets out how the CLC and the wider industry have taken forward work in relation to 5 key areas:
1. Leadership and Culture;
2. Safe Design;
3. Safe Construction;
4. Safe Products; and
5. Safe Occupation.
The report concludes that whilst progress has been made, much work remains to be done to fulfil the CLC’s ambition of an industry in which culture, behaviours and competence have been transformed to deliver safe buildings.
It also sets out the ongoing work in relation to building safety, one of the CLC’s 4 strategic priorities, and notes that this work will be reviewed in the light of the publication of the Phase 2 Report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Mark Reynolds, CLC Co-Chair and Group Chairman and Chief Executive of Mace Group, said in the foreward to the report: “The construction industry’s most important shared responsibility is to ensure that the buildings we deliver are safe; both while they are under construction and for those who will occupy them. The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will shortly set out in detail the failings that led to the tragic events of 14 June 2017.
“Our industry will, I’m sure, be rightly held to account for our role in them, and the response we have delivered to date to address these. The painstaking work of the Inquiry over several years, and the quality of the insight it has produced to date, reflects both the colossal human tragedy of the events themselves and the extent of the systemic failings that caused them. This progress report sets out the work that has been carried out by the construction industry, both before and after the introduction of the Building Safety Act, to support regulatory and cultural change, assess whether we have gone far enough; and chart a course forward to address the areas where further work is required.
“The Construction Leadership Council (CLC), acting as a convener of collective industry action, has worked to ensure that efforts across the sector to deliver the changes required are coordinated, effective and delivered in a way that enables the entire sector – from the smallest independent traders to the largest contractors and consultancies – to implement the required changes.
“The industry has taken its responsibilities seriously – significant progress has been made by many people across all parts of the sector, and all of those who have volunteered their time deserve recognition for their efforts.
“It is clear there is more progress to be made to support companies and individuals working in our sector, particularly to improve competency pathways and product regulations, where we are awaiting regulatory clarification.
“We must continue to work together, engage effectively with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), as well as all relevant Government departments, and be honest with ourselves that change is still required to deliver an industry which is accountable and trusted by the people that live, work and spend their time in the buildings we construct. I believe that this report demonstrates that our collective effort has taken us a long way, and our industry has begun to meaningfully change for the better.
“We recognise that this isn’t enough, and the CLC is committed to supporting the industry as it continues at pace to deliver the transformation that is rightly expected by everyone who relies on construction.”
Read the full report here.
