In the article "Eight failures that left people of Grenfell Tower at mercy of the inferno", Knapton and Dixon (2017) highlighted 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 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 previous fire incidents. It was mentioned that Grenfell Tower had missing fire safety measures which include a central sprinkler system, fire doors and firebreaks. The installation of only one staircase was also a concern. 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 helped spark the accident of Grenfell Tower and their consequences. From my personal standpoint, many of the factors mentioned in the article can trace their roots back to the government. It was the failure of the government that ultimately led to the demise of Grenfell Tower.
Based on initial investigation, It is widely agreed upon that the cladding used in Grenfell Tower was the caused that exacerbated the fire, it begs the question: "why was it used in the first place?" The National Building Regulations (2010) states "The external walls of the building shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another, having regard to the height, use and position of the building". The regulation did not specifically state that the materials used for the enteral of the building to be non-combustible. In the case of Grenfell Tower, Class O cladding was used. Prior to the incident, fire experts found that the cladding was able to withstand the initial dace of the fire but as the fire strengthens, the claddings melt and expose the inner form. According to Clack (2017), after the startling discovery, the fire brigade had urged the local councils that this type of cladding posed a certain risk, however, they sat on this information. In addition, after the Lakanal House fire which occurred 10 years prior to Grenfell Tower fire, a government review of building regulation was called for (Bowie, 2017). This gave the government an ample opportunity to uncover the dangers of Class O cladding, adding to the fact that external fire safety groups have also urged ministers for regulatory overhaul. Yet again the government failed to take any sensible action.
In addition, with lax government regulations and unclear standards, the owners of the building took the opportunity to cut corners. Grenfell Tower is one of the pockets of poverty surrounded by the wealthy. The residents face prejudice from the institution. Jordan (2017) mentioned that rather than dealing with the safety concerns brought up by the "poor" residents, the owners focused refurbishments efforts on the building aesthetics in order to raise surrounding land value to appease the wealthy people staying in the blocks surrounding Grenfell Tower. Class O cladding was fitted to the tower to make the tower look appealing. This would later prove to be a costly mistake. The residents raised their safety concerns such as the absence of fire doors and sprinklers, and also the problem of having a single staircase in the building meaning the residents have only one route of exit. When residents confronted the owners, they were told the building was "safe" and took no action. United Nations housing investigator is looking into the matter as human rights may have been violated as the resident's concerns were ignored (Butler, 2018)
A good government is one that ensures "the care of human life & happiness, & not their destruction, is the first & only legitimate object of good government", Thomas Jefferson (1809). The Grenfell Tower tragedy was undoubtedly a systematic failure by both the local and national government. Their incompetence ultimately led to the other factors as mentioned in the original article by Knapton and Dixon (2017).
References:
Knapton, & Dixon. (2017, June 16). Eight failures that left people of Grenfell Tower at mercy of the inferno. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/eight-failures-left-people-grenfell-tower-mercy-inferno/
Legislation.gov.uk. (2018). The Building Regulation 2010 No.2214 Section B3. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/2214/schedule/1/made
Clark. (2017, June 28). THEY WERE WARNED Fire brigade wrote to all London councils warning about the risks of external cladding on tower blocks just weeks before Grenfell fire. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3900620/fire-brigade-wrote-to-all-london-councils-warning-about-the-risks-of-external-cladding-on-tower-blocks-just-weeks-before-grenfell-fire/
Bowie. (2017, June 17). Yes, the Grenfell Tower fire is political – it’s a failure of many governments. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://theconversation.com/yes-the-grenfell-tower-fire-is-political-its-a-failure-of-many-governments-79599
Jordan. (2017, June 15). Racism And Classism Killed The Residents Of Grenfell Tower. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/skylar-bakerjordan/grenfell-fire_b_17104044.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer_us=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_cs=huazL3uXzEmGneDn5-wozg
Butler. (2018, March 9). UK may have breached human rights over Grenfell Tower, says UN. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/09/grenfell-tower-uk-may-have-breached-human-rights-says-un
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