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,
specifically the Department of Home Office (HO) 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 cause that
exacerbated the fire. This it begs the question: "Why was it used in the
first place?" The HO failed by not assessing the dangers of the cladding
and allowing it to be used. 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). The HO had ample opportunity to uncover the dangers of Class O
cladding, adding to the fact that external fire safety groups have also urged
the ministers for regulatory overhaul. Yet they failed to take any sensible
action to adjust the National Building Regulations.
In addition, with lax government regulations and
unclear standards, the owners of the building took the opportunity to cut
corners. The HO failed again, this time not monitoring the actions and
decisions made by the building owners. 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. Residents were
concerned about 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 they confronted the owners, they were told the building
was "safe" and took no action. A 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) If the HO had step up to
monitoring efforts, the building owners would have a harder time cutting
corners, which could have averted the disaster.
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:
Butler. (2018, March 9). UK may have breached
human rights over Grenfell Tower, says UN. The Guardian. Retrieved February 9,
2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/09/grenfell-tower-uk-may-have-breached-human-rights-says-un
Bowie. (2017, June 17). Yes, the Grenfell Tower
fire is political – it’s a failure of many governments. The Conversation. Retrieved
February 9, 2019, from https://theconversation.com/yes-the-grenfell-tower-fire-is-political-its-a-failure-of-many-governments-79599
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. The Sun. 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/
Jordan. (2017, June 15). Racism And Classism
Killed The Residents Of Grenfell Tower. Huffington Post. 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
Knapton, & Dixon. (2017, June 16). Eight
failures that left people of Grenfell Tower at mercy of the inferno. The
Telegraph. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/15/eight-failures-left-people-grenfell-tower-mercy-inferno/
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