Eight failures that left people of Grenfell Tower at mercy of the inferno (Summary draft 1)

In the article "Eight failures that left people of Grenfell Tower at mercy of the inferno", Knapton and Dixon (2017) highlight the eight factors that result to the devastating destruction of the Grenfell Tower. Under the London Building Act, external walls were required to have a minimum of 1 hour of fire resistance. However, that all changed in 1987 when Margaret Thatcher’s government replaced it with the new National Building Regulations. Under the new rule, non-combustible were no longer a requirement for walls. It was reported that unsafe materials were used for cladding in Grenfell Tower. Several fire safety experts had voiced their concerns about the use of unsafe cladding to the authorities without avail. The government failed time and time again to review building regulations even after the Lakanal house fire in 2009. It was mentioned that Grenfell Tower has missing fire safety measures which include a central sprinkler system, fire doors and firebreaks. In addition, the installation of only one staircase means residents have only one point of exit. The authors stated that fire inspections of the tower were almost non-existent after the end of 2015. These combinations of factors took the lives of 72 people and injured hundreds. The article addresses the eight factors that exacerbate the accident of Grenfell Tower and their consequences, I believe that the change in law is the most serious factor as it undyingly led to other factors.

Knapton & Dixon. (2017, June 16). Eight failures that left people of Grenfell Tower at mercy of the inferno. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/eight-failures-left-people-grenfell-tower-mercy-inferno/

Reflection on personal problem

Mr D mentioned that he used to work at a bank as a customer service assistant. While assisting a particular customer, Mr D treated the customer in an impolite manner. Mr D claimed that the customer did not have the dexterity to operate the ATM. He also alleged that he himself was having a bad day. As a result of his actions, the customer filed a complaint on Mr D with the bank. Upon further reflection, he believed that his lack of patience was the cause of his problem.

Self Introduction e-mail

To: Prof. Brad Blackstone
From: Kelvin Ang
Subject: Self-introductory Email

Dear Professor Brad Blackstone,

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself to you, my name is Ang Hong Ming, but feel free to address me as Kelvin. I am currently a year one Civil Engineering student at Singapore Institute of Technology. Prior to my national service, I graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in business process & systems engineering.

The reason why I choose to pursue this course is that I always had an interest in designing and creating things. When I was a boy, my favourite toy was my Lego sets. I loved the whole process of planning and then building my own creations. Unsurprisingly, the subject that I enjoyed the most back in secondary school was design and technology. I learned the basic concepts and knowledge of designing as well as picking up some useful skills such as handling workshop tools and machinery. I also have a strong interest in photography, mainly architecture and landscape photography. Whenever I travel abroad, I would usually spend at least a day taking architecture shots and appreciating the different designs of the buildings.

In terms of my communications strengths, I find myself comfortable presenting and speaking in front of an audience. During my polytechnic days, I have to represent my school in a number of product and innovation national competitions. I found myself facing panels after panels judges my innovations. This experience gave me confidence in presenting in front of strangers.

In terms of my communications weakness, I find difficulty expressing in writing. Being brought up speaking only Chinese at home, English was exceptionally difficult for me to learn growing up. I often make grammatical mistakes when it comes to writing essays and reports.

My goals for this module are to polish up my presentation skills and greatly improve my writing skills to better prepare me when I enter the workforce in the future. I look forward to learning from you about effective communication.

Yours sincerely,
Kelvin

(Commented on Dylan's, Brendan's and Sam's blog)

Welcome Post

Welcome to Kelvin's Effective Communication Blog. This blog is a platform for me to develop my English academic and communication skills for my Effective Communication module.