The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has welcomed the publication of the final report into the Grenfell Tower tragedy, saying that it should ‘add greater urgency to promised reforms of the construction industry and related engineering disciplines’.
The Association, which feels the report should also ‘serve as a further reminder of the serious and wide-reaching impact of the disaster’, paid tribute to those who lost their lives, and said it was important to recognise the continued impact on residents and the immediate community.
BESA said the report ‘shone a light on the systemic failings that led to the tragedy’, and vowed to work closely with the government and other industry bodies to bring about the necessary culture change that would ensure similar disasters could not occur in the future.
It thanked the public inquiry panel for their diligence in investigating the root causes of the tragedy, and particularly noted the comments of panel member, and architect, Thouria Istephan, who called for a greater commitment to the development of professional skills.
“If we are not professionally curious, we will not become technically competent,” she said. “If you work in the construction industry and do not feel the weight of the responsibility you have for keeping people safe, you are in the wrong job.”
While acknowledging that continued legislative change and regulatory reform ‘is clearly required’, BESA said it was anxious that there should be no loss in momentum on progress already being made under the Building Safety Act, specifically around the need for everyone involved in construction to provide evidence of their competence and compliance.
The Association has already suspended companies from membership who failed to meet their technical and professional obligations under the Act, and says it would not hesitate to do so again.
“The report reminds us that the industry’s operating model had evolved to a point where cutting cost was pursued at the expense of building safety and performance,” said CEO David Frise(pictured). “We must build on the progress made since the tragedy, evolving into an industry that can clearly demonstrate its competence and compliance in delivering a built environment that is safe and sustainable.”
BESA has produced a summary of the key recommendations from the report for the building engineering sector.