APM response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s report

The Association for Project Management [APM] has welcomed Dame Judith Hackitt’s Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. Responding to the report, Sara Drake, APM chief executive said:

“Dame Judith’s report is to be welcomed and addresses many of the key issues of building safety arising from the tragedy of Grenfell itself but also other issues that the post-disaster discussions have made plain need addressing.  As a professional body three generic themes emerge. The first two highlight the need to improve the culture as well as competence aspects across building and construction. The third theme binds these two together, namely this will require leadership and co-operation across professions and sectors.  That must be our collective endeavour”.

Published today (17 May 2018) the report, as Dame Judith promised in her interim report last year, rightly recommends major changes in terms of standards, roles and responsibilities, tightening up procedures, particularly at the point of handing over responsibilities and identifying individuals that would be accountable for life safety issues at design and construction stages and throughout occupation. 

Philip Isgar, who led the work on Grenfell on behalf of APM said:

 “The focus on achieving unambiguous responsibility for life safety at all stages of a project – from planning and design, through construction and onto occupation – is what we collectively need collaborate towards achieving. We welcome the emphasis on cultural and behavioural change. We will work with other bodies and through the Construction Industry Council in the coming months to ensure we embed the insights from the Hackitt report.

Read the report here