Unpicking the industry’s ‘web of blame’

It is seven years since Dame Judith Hackitt’s landmark Building a Safer Future report called for new legislation and a cultural shift across the construction and property industry. We’ve seen the legislation evolve over that time; how far has there been a meaningful shift in culture? I believe there is still a long way to go. However, we can all play a role in forming a better culture around building safety by unpicking the infamous “web of blame” which emerged during the Grenfell Inquiry. I’m not just referring to the institutions named on that chart, but about a much wider swathe of industry operators who work narrowly and with a blinkered view of wider objectives, relying on others to fill in the gaps. The recently published Construction Products Reform Green Paper offers us an opportunity to address a long-established and flawed approach. We need to engage with one another and pool our knowledge if we’re going to deliver buildings which are safe and will be trusted by their occupants. Finding the “why?” Whether our work is on new developments or we are remediating existing, unsafe buildings, fire and building safety presents a complex challenge for all of us. Irrespective of the vagaries of product definitions and interpretations of official guidance, remediation work is fraught with many unknown elements which may hide behind walls, remain concealed behind unopened areas or even become embedded within materials themselves. I believe this inherent risk can only be mitigated in a project environment which supports challenges, holds individuals accountable and welcomes wider perspectives. A more visceral, personal connection to the consequences of our decisions is fundamental to achieving this. Anyone involved in creating new buildings or improving existing ones must understand the “why?” behind their work before they can feel motivated to speak up beyond their assigned roles for the good of the project. I was profoundly moved by Peter Apps’ book, Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen. Apps focuses on the people who were affected by the fire, telling their stories alongside detailed accounts of the technicalities, the politics and the corporate manoeuvres of the institutions connected to Grenfell, from construction to operation. In doing so, Apps’ narrative shines a stark light on the consequences of isolated and impersonal decision-making. My advice for everyone involved in buildings is not only to read this book, but to carefully consider the reality of the tragedies we’re trying to avoid. We all know how it feels to be blasted by heat from an open oven door, to be stung by fat flying off a grill or to hear the roar of a bonfire as its flames beat at our face and scorch our skin. Each of these gives us an idea of the intensity of fire and the sensations it creates. But what if you were surrounded by those sounds, sights and feelings in an enclosed space hundreds of feet up? In that moment, would you trust the work and decisions made previously to keep you safe and help you escape? Would you assume that every contractor, adviser, engineer and manufacturer had made all the right calls for you to stay safe and get out alive? And wouldn’t you want to know their decisions had been thoroughly tested and confirmed? Creating a web of knowledge If the “why?” is clear, then so is our industry’s need to learn from tragedy and unpick the “business-as-usual” approaches which can lead to unsafe buildings. We all have sufficient knowledge to inform better decision-making. But we must be prepared to weave that knowledge together in a productive and positive version of the web of blame: a “web of knowledge” spanning our industry and all its specialisms. After decades of project team leadership, I don’t underestimate the difficulties of coordinating large teams of specialists and corralling their ideas into action. However, clear goals can help and that is where the government’s Green Paper is important. New regulators, processes and requirements have already promised a positive impact across the industry, which is still to be fully seen. But the Green Paper will offer further new legislation, currently being developed, which could tackle a huge practical challenge to delivering safer buildings: the reliability of materials and the standards used to assess them. This package of reforms isn’t just for manufacturers to understand and respond to. In the spirit of wider understanding and collaboration, we need our whole industry to engage with the Green Paper consultation. Consultants, contractors, engineers and clients must all review and question the ways in which product information is presented by manufacturers. We cannot recreate the web of blame, wherein parties defer responsibility for testing to others who, in turn, blame others for manipulating test conditions or obscuring crucial product information. Among other things, the Green Paper tests definitions of “construction products” and “construction works”, listing items which would be out of its scope. It refers to modern methods of construction. It asks which organisations in the supply chain should have responsibilities for the safety of construction products and which should be covered by regulation. These are broad questions with significant scope for impact. As an industry professional, you may have relevant comments and further questions to challenge the prevailing assumptions on this live regulation. Voices for change Making your voice heard in this context, as well as across work on buildings undertaken in a wide range of different roles is how we can start to shape that better culture. More immediately, it’s about how we create better buildings. If it feels somehow out of your comfort zone to put yourself “out there” to question the decisions of your clients or fellow professionals, I would ask you to put yourself in the shoes of the people who live in the buildings we deliver and maintain and recognise the enormous level of trust they place in us. Whether we’re creating new buildings or remediating unsafe ones, we must take action – not only collectively but individually – and accept our responsibility for doing so. That is the only way to do things better than our predecessors and avoid repeating their mistakes. Read and respond to the consultation, which closes on 21 May at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/construction-products-reform-green-paper.  Alan Pemberton is chairman at TFT