Building a safer future, Hackitt Review

In the wake of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower in 2017, an interim and final report have been produced by Dame Judith Hackitt, known as the Hackitt Review, to address and explore regulatory bodies and the construction industry with regards to resident safety in high-rise accommodation. The final report was issued in the spring of 2018 with strong references made to the interim report throughout.

Various issues are highlighted throughout and changes have been recommended. Dame Judith Hackitt highlights key issues underpinning the system failure:
Ignorance – Guidance and legislation isn’t necessarily read and can be misunderstood and misinterpreted.
Indifference – The primary motivation seems to be to get things done as quickly and cheaply as possible. When concerns are raised they are often ignored. Some carrying out the building work don’t seem to prioritise safety.
Lack of Clarity – On roles and responsibilities, increased by fragmentation within the industry.
Inadequate regulatory oversight and enforcement tools – project size and complexity does not seem to determine how it is regulated and where enforcement is necessary the penalties are ineffective deterrents.

‘The above has helped to create cultural issues…either caused through ignorance, indifference or because the
system does not facilitate good practice’

An overview of the Hackitt Review

The full report is almost 160 pages and is pretty heavy going at times. I think we would all like the time to be able sit down, read and fully digest all of the findings from the Hackitt Review but if you’re as busy as we are then that’s pretty unlikley. Luckily for us and now for you, our stellar SHEQ manager, Melissa Fazackerley, has read, processed and compressed the important bits in to a more manageable overview of Dame Judith Hackett’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

Dame Judith is being interviewed over the Building Regs and Fire Safety Review that she led in a webinar taking place on 16^th July 11am till 12noon. In preparation for the interview why not read Melissa’s overview to make sure you’re well prepared. This is incredibly relevant and very important to our industry and we should all tune in and form our own opinions.

Download Melissa’s report here: Building a Safer Future (Overview)

To register for the webinar click here: WEBINAR