Grenfell’s risk management issues wider than cladding problem, warns Airmic CEO

One year on from the tragic Grenfell Tower fire a major overhaul of UK fire safety regulation now looks likely following an independent review, with potentially far reaching implications for property owners and occupiers. While much attention focused on the fact that the review did not recommend a ban on combustible cladding, Airmic’s CEO urged people not to get caught up on this issue to the detriment of a “root and branch” review of UK fire safety. Experts also said that any changes in UK regulations will likely have knock on effects in other countries because it is historically a leader in building control standards. On June 14, 2017 a fire at a west London tower block left over 70 people dead. The fire at Grenfell Tower, which was linked to composite cladding added to the building during renovation work, raised serious questions about UK fire safety regulations and risk management. An independent review led by Dame Judith Hackitt found “deep flaws” in building regulation, construction industry practices and fire safety culture. The review, which specifically looked at fire safety in higher-risk residential buildings (HRRBs), called for a “culture change” and a different regulatory approach to fire safety. Dame Judith, a former chair of the UK Health and Safety Executive, recommended that the government create a new fire safety regulator for HRRBs, a so-called Joint Competent Authority (JCA), to oversee fire safety across the lifespan of a building, from design through to occupancy. The report also called for increased responsibilities around fire safety for building owners and occupiers. “This is an issue that the risk management community has been aware of for some time. Fire safety clearly has a reputational angle and so it will become a more relevant issue going forward. It’s not just about the measures an organisation takes to prevent an accident, but how it responds and getting the board prepared for issues is important,” Paul Goulding, chair of UK risk management association Airmic told Commercial Risk Europe. Virtually all of Dame Judith’s recommendations focus on multi-occupancy HRRBs, although they could influence fire safety regulation more generally. According to Hugh Forster, property risk leader at Marsh UK: “While the fixing of the fire safety system for HRRBs will inevitably drive improvements across other types of buildings, the formal recommendations do not focus on other building types. Potentially a separate fire safety system could be developed for HRRBs, with only minor or incremental improvements being made in other areas.” While Dame Judith Hackitt’s report focused primarily on HRRBs, the scope could be broadened over time, according to Tom Roche, senior consultant, international codes and standards at FM Global. In fact, Dame Judith specifically recognises that this may be the case, he said. “As improved standards are implemented in one specific area like competency or enforcement this will translate to other building types – an outcome that should result in a major benefit to fire safety across the board,” according to Mr Roche. The regulatory repercussions of the Grenfell Tower fire are likely to have international implications. Other countries have seen fires in high rise buildings. Some, like Australia, are already reviewing their fire safety regulations. “It is clear that the world is watching and will judge us on our response to the recommendations in the Hackitt report. While the fire-safety systems are different in every country, the use of performance-based codes has been followed in other jurisdictions,” said Mr Roche. “The UK has in the past been looked to as a leader in this area and our system of building control. As such, many countries will be looking at the proposed regulatory system and oversight changes. Once technical details are reviewed, FM Global would expect other countries to carefully study the findings and in some cases implement similar regulatory or legislative changes,” he said. Dame Judith’s report did not recommend a ban on combustible cladding, because such technical issues were beyond the scope of the review. However, insurers and fire safety organisations have called for such a ban, as well as an overhaul of fire performance testing. Zurich welcomed the Hackitt review’s recommendation for a new regulatory framework as a “step in the right direction” to fix the current “broken and outdated” system. However, the insurer is “deeply concerned” that the review fails to recommend the introduction of a future ban on combustibles or untested cladding in the UK, according to Allison Whittington, head of housing at Zurich Municipal. “We believe that the debate on banning combustible cladding is an important factor in the wider fire safety discussion. The current building regulations system is outdated and deeply flawed and rules around the use of combustible cladding are an important component of the changes needed to fix it,” she said. “Our strong recommendation is that the materials used should be fire resistant or incombustible. As with any building system, it is essential that the materials, systems and overall installation comply with the relevant technical standards and meet the appropriate test criteria, both at design stage and once installed or completed,” she said. The UK government announced last month that it will consult on a ban on combustible cladding. In April it launched a consultation on the use of ‘desk-top studies’ to assess fire performance of external cladding systems. There are, however, concerns that too much focus on cladding by media and politicians could be a distraction from the wider fire safety and risk management failings exposed in Dame Judith’s report. “The important point is that everyone has a huge responsibility to ensure that this does not become a political football and that catchy policies – like let’s ban cladding – are not allowed to stop a root and branch review of the whole system,” said John Ludlow, chief executive of Airmic. “It was cladding this time, but it will be something else next time unless the responsible authorities put in place robust risk management systems and the culture that should go with them,” he told CRE. While the Hackitt report provides a good basis for resolving problems with the UK’s fire safety culture, significantly more detail and hard work must be added to ensure a real change in fire-safety culture, said Mr Roche. “This detail needs to be provided by a combination of government and the industry, as combined they have the skills and knowledge to provide further guidance. One must remember that the oversight by a new, independent group, as recommended in Dame Judith’s report, is only applicable to high rise residential buildings,” said Mr Roche. “One must also consider what will be put in place to ensure that we will have the same impetus with other buildings like hospitals, schools, industrial facilities and the like,” he said. Marsh’s Mr Forster said “competent implementation” of the final Hackitt review will probably deliver improved fire safety for HRRBs, but the route to fixing the system for other types of buildings remains far from clear. The Hackitt report should be a “first-step on the path to a big shift in the UK’s fire safety culture,” agreed Mr Roche.

Grenfell’s risk management issues wider than cladding problem, warns Airmic CEO

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