You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Leaked Hackitt report criticised for not going far enough
A leaked report from one of the groups working on Dame Judith Hackitt’s post-Grenfell recommendations does not go far enough, a consultant to the group has said.
Ryan Dempsey, an electrical safety expert brought in to advise the working group on the competence of people installing fire protection systems, told Inside Housing he thought the changes that were being discussed were too limited.
A draft version of the group’s report – seen by Inside Housing – recommends that installers should have knowledge of fire safety and should require various pieces of accreditation.
Mr Dempsey told Inside Housing: “When I sat in the working group, they were saying that the solution to the problem, or the fix to the problem, would be what we had before.
“I said that wouldn’t suffice and we shouldn’t use something like Grenfell to polish what we had before. It almost felt like they were trying to market the existing process.”
READ MORE
The group is one of 12 working groups set up by various industry bodies to examine the best way of ensuring that people involved in the construction or maintenance of a high-rise building are competent.
Mr Dempsey said he thought the group had focused too heavily on Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS) cards, which are used to prove that people working on construction sites are qualified. CSCS cards are already compulsory for installers.
The draft report called the card scheme “a strong framework” but suggested that as well as storing qualifications, it should store “additional training data and certificates”.
Related Files
Mr Dempsey said that CSCS cards had their place, but added: “We need to ensure the process of authenticating competence in the area installers work needs to be clearly defined (also how to prevent them ‘having a go’ at something they’re clearly not comfortable, confident or competent to do).
“A card which demonstrates a person at a particular time in their life achieved a qualification does not and will never be considered competence recognition.”
Minutes from a meeting of the group – also seen by Inside Housing – show that Gordon Jenkins, director of operations at CSCS, advised that CSCS is not a competence scheme.
Martin Duggan, general manager at the Fire Industry Association and secretary of the working group, declined to comment when approached by Inside Housing but stressed that the draft report was subject to change.
Attendees to the last meeting of the Hackitt industry response working group for installers’ competence
Alan Kinnear – Fire Protection
Allan Meek – Smoke Control Association
Chris Auger – BAFE
Chris Bielby – SGN
Chris Pateman – Engineered Panels In Construction
David Bray – National Fire Chiefs Council
Dawn Hillier – Construction Industry Training Board
Gordon Jenkins – Construction Skills Certificate Scheme
Iain Mcilwee – Finishes & Interiors Sector
Ian Ronksley – United Kingdom Accreditation Service
James Talman – National Federation of Roofing Contractors
John Davidson – National Security Inspectorate
Kara Kashemsanta – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Kevin Underwood – British Woodworking Federation
Lindsay Gillespie – Building Engineering Services Association)
Louis Lyons – Build UK
Martin Duggan – group secretary / Fire Industry Association
Martin Marshall – BAM Construct
Michael Skelding – DHF
Niall Rowan – Association for Specialist Fire Protection
Nick Jarman – group chair / Stanhope
Peter Dawber
Phil Brownhill – Association for Specialist Fire Protection
Richard Townsend - National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers
Sarah Garry – Build UK
Steve Martin – Electrical Contractors Association / Fire & Security Association
Stuart Sargeant – Abbey Thermal Ltd
Suzannah Nichol – group lead/ Build UK
Tom Brookes – Fire & Security Association
