VOICE OF THE INDUSTRY
WHY THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY STILL HAS A LONG ROAD AHEAD TO ENSURE BUILDING SAFETY Given the recent reports that building products used in Grenfell should never have been specified, Chief Strategy Officer at NBS, Richard Waterhouse, explains why the construction industry has many more lessons to learn before it can regain its integrity. NBS
RICHARD WATERHOUSE IS CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER AT NBS
FC&A – FEBRUARY – 2021
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eports in the press have seen the building industry receive yet another blow to its already tarnished reputation. The Grenfell inquiry, now well underway, has begun to lift the lid on some of the major failings still haunting the construction industry today. In particular, the lack of necessary procedures in place to prevent such an event from ever occurring. These are warnings that have been reinforced by Dame Judith Hackitt, who has talked at length of a ‘broken industry’, yet these latest findings have revealed just how broken these processes have become. Most worryingly is the idea that building products that were not up to spec have slipped through the net, sidestepping fail-safes and making it into the final build. More worrying still, is the revelation that products were knowingly pushed through, with a small minority of manufacturers playing fast and loose with testing standards and product safety comms. So, with such a long road ahead before specifiers and end-users can regain their trust with manufacturers, how does the industry go about picking up the pieces? 20
Stringent testing certifications as standard One of the main areas the construction industry is lacking is the independence and transparency of stringent testing regimes. It’s clear that processes currently in place are no longer serving the safety of end-users and improvements need to be made. As well as independent testing on products from labs, care also needs to be taken with the enforcement of standards. A more thorough inspection regime by third-party assessors may be the answer, ensuring that specified products are as ‘watertight’ as they claim. Until this happens, manufacturer integrity will not be restored. Yes, it’s true that governing safety bodies such as the BSI and ISO already exist, but for some products, these safety standards still remain ‘nice-to-haves’ and are not always a legal requirement. This leaves far too much wiggle room in the hands of unscrupulous manufacturers who can, as we’ve seen, easily brush over product failings with cleverly conceived marketing or through strong business relationships able to navigate policy procedure. For real change to take place, industry-wide levels of testing and certifications must be reinforced to avert sub-par products from entering the market and being used incorrectly. This will be helped by the introduction of the new safe product register and the work of the Marketing Integrity Group of the Construction Products Association.
