Grenfell Tower
IOSH: Grenfell inquiry must be fire safety ‘watershed’
The Grenfell Tower public inquiry must be “a watershed for fire safety”, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has claimed.
The news follows the government’s announcement of the terms of reference for the inquiry.
Prime minister Theresa May said she accepted in full the recommendations by inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick for what it should consider, following a public consultation.
IOSH said it had submitted a response to the consultation as well as contribution to one of the open meetings. It said many of the areas the institution had recommended for examination had been included, such as causation, design and construction, regulation, compliance and resourcing.
Independent review
The institution also noted an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, previously announced by the Prime Minister, will help to inform the work of the inquiry.
The review will be led by ex-Health and Safety Executive chair Dame Judith Hackitt, in a move that IOSH described as ‘an important step’.
Vital watershed
Richard Jones, head of policy and public affairs at IOSH, said: “It’s vital that this inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire becomes a watershed for fire safety and helps prevent future tragedies.
“Agreeing these terms of reference will help ensure key areas of weakness are examined and enable the chair to make the necessary recommendations to improve both current and future fire risk management.”
Moore-Bick now intends to hold a preliminary hearing in mid-September and to provide an initial report by Easter 2018, dealing with the cause of the fire and the means by which it spread to the whole building.
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IOSH: Grenfell inquiry must be fire safety ‘watershed’
The news follows the government's announcement of the terms of reference for the inquiry.
James Evison
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