Grenfell Inquiry Report

The Phase 2 Report of the public inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people, was published earlier last month and is expected to have a significant impact on the construction industry.

The report concluded that the fire resulted from decades of failures by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry to thoroughly assess the risks of using combustible materials in the external walls of high-rise residential buildings, and to act on the information available to them.

The report makes several recommendations, including: 

• the creation of a single construction regulator responsible for functions currently carried out by various bodies, including:

  
  

  • the regulation of construction products;

  • the development of appropriate methods for testing the fire performance of materials and products used in construction;

  • the testing and certification of such products;

  • the issue of certificates confirming construction products’ compliance with legislation, statutory guidance, and industry standards; 

  • the regulation and oversight of building control;

  • the licensing of contractors working on higher-risk buildings; 

  • monitoring the operation of the Building Regulations 2010 and statutory guidance and advising the Secretary of State on necessary changes;

  • conducting research on fire safety issues in the built environment;

  • collecting and exchanging information, both domestically and internationally, on fire safety matters;

  • exchanging information with fire and rescue services on fire safety issues;

  • accrediting fire risk assessors; and

  • maintaining a publicly accessible library of test data and publications;

    
    

• updating the legislative definition of “higher-risk building,” which currently refers to a building that is at least 18 meters in height (or has at least seven storeys) and contains at least two residential units, to include consideration of the building’s use and, in particular, the likely presence of vulnerable individuals who may face difficulties evacuating in the event of a fire or other emergency;

  
  

• an urgent review of Approved Document B, the statutory guidance for meeting the fire safety requirements of the Building Regulations 2010, to ensure that developers following the guidance can be confident of complying with the Regulations;

  
  

• recognition and regulation of the fire engineer profession to establish a body of registered professionals capable of contributing to the design and delivery of safe

  buildings and educating other construction professionals on effective fire safety

  strategies;

  
  

• the creation of a statutory requirement for a fire safety strategy, taking into account the needs of vulnerable individuals (including additional time required for evacuation or facilities needed to ensure their safety), to be prepared by a registered fire engineer and submitted with building control applications for higher-risk buildings; and

  
  

• the introduction of a licensing scheme for principal contractors wishing to work on higher-risk buildings, and the creation of a legal requirement for applications for building control approval for a higher-risk building to be accompanied by an undertaking from the director of the principal contractor to take all reasonable steps to ensure that, upon completion and handover, the building meets the safety requirements of the Building Regulations 2010.