Grenfell Tower Inquiry report recommends major reforms

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry phase 2 report published in September is a detailed document, reflecting the penetrating nature of the inquiry. All the team should be congratulated on the thoroughness of their work.

The report describes a series of serious shortcomings across the design and construction industry – most due to a lack of competence by those involved in the tragedy, but some due to dishonesty.

Industry and government must address all these shortcomings and ensure that, where avoidable, such incidents are not allowed to happen again.

It is obvious that carrying out some of the recommendations will be straightforward, such as, for example, adding flow rates in standards. Others, however, will require much thought, and take time to implement.

This is where industry leaders such as RICS will need to support and help industry and government with implementing new approaches that are robust and efficient. The organisation has already run two webinars – available to members on demand – and focusing on the Inquiry's recommendations to inform members.

One Inquiry recommendation in particular is that the Home Office reconsider its guidance on personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPS) contained in its guidance on Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats.

The Home Office originally declared in 2022 that it was too difficult to ensure that PEEPs were in place for every individual who needs one, so it should not be a statutory duty for building owners to produce such plan. This, I understand, is currently under review, particularly in relation to those with disabilities.

The Inquiry's direct industry recommendations relate to two specific points. The first is for the Architects Registration Board to review its competency requirements, to ensure competency of architects is improved in relation to fire safety.

The other, meanwhile, is for the British Standards Institution to clarify whether the water flow coefficient of hydrants should be measured at the point of manufacture or in the completed building on site, designed to ensure adequate water pressure in firefighting operations.

The full list of these recommendations is as follows.

• There should be a new single construction regulator.
• A chief construction adviser should be appointed by government, with a department and staff.
• The definition of HRBs should be reviewed, looking at criteria other than just height, such as occupant vulnerability.
• There should also be a single fire safety management government regulator. This would help clarify the present position which is split across the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
• A full review of guidance documents – in particular Fire safety: Approved Document B – should be carried out, and guidance status made clear as there is still confusion about whether compliance or not with Fire Safety: Approved Document B is acceptable.
• There should be a requirement for the fire strategy to compare likely escape time with possible fire spread time in case of compartment failure.
• Advisory bodies to government should include academics, fire engineers and experts with wider adviser skills, such as, for example, procurement.
• A fire safety strategy prepared by a registered fire engineer should be a mandatory part of the building control application for HRBs.
• New tests are needed for assessing fire safety of external wall systems, in particular, a new kind of test has to be devised for them.
• Compliance with BS 9414: 2019 is not to be considered a substitute for a qualified fire engineer's assessment of external wall systems.
• The new construction regulator will be responsible for testing and certifying construction products and ensuring full disclosure of all test results.
• There should be formal recognition of and protection for the title and function of fire engineer, with an independent body to regulate and specialist advisers to define the qualifications for holding this position.
• The government should promote an increased number of places on master's-level fire engineering courses.
• It should also liaise with industry and advisers to ensure the development of fire engineering awareness courses.
• It should establish a mandatory assessment scheme for fire risk assessors as well.
• There should be a requirement that HRBs applying for Building Regulations approval should contain a statement from the principal designer that the design is compliant.
• Mandatory licensing of contractors for HRB work should be put in place, and the principal contractor should be required to make a statement to the BSR in respect of commitment to compliance.
• The government should appoint an independent panel to review competition in building control, and consider whether this function should be carried out by a single national body.
• The new construction regulator should explore the potential for establishing a national database of building safety-related data.
• The government should establish a publicly accessible database of recommendations from select committees, inquiry panels and related investigations, with details of actions taken. The relevant minister should report on this annually to Parliament.
• The government should also investigate with the BSR and National Fire Chiefs Council any problems with fire control switch keys.
• Gas transporters are to be required to check access to gas safety valves every three years and report such action to the Health and Safety Executive.
• The government should establish a properly resourced national college of fire and rescue to provide training, education, research and equipment, develop policy and set standards.
• The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 should be amended to allow the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government to intervene when a category 1 respond is failing, and for responders to establish relationships with local volunteer, community and faith groups. 
• Emergency planning guidance should be reviewed, streamlined and updated, to include humanitarian considerations in particular. 

RICS is committed to taking a full role in helping the government and others in industry in responding effectively to the Inquiry-identified shortcomings over the next few months, and has been doing extensively in the seven years since the tragedy.

Readers are invited to make their views about the Inquiry's report known by contacting the RICS Fire Safety Working Group.