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/