LEIA Looks at Industry Implications of Grenfell Phase 2 Report

The Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report published in early September was the culmination of more than seven years of work by the inquiry and followed publication of the Phase 1 report nearly five years ago, the Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) reports. Within the larger report, consideration of the lifts was relatively small, but occupied a chapter. The focus was on why the existing lifts were not able to be recalled or taken under the control of firefighters (the subject of a recommendation of the Phase 1 Report resulting in requirements of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022). Concerns with switch reliability were compounded by apparent problems with variation in dimensions in drop keys available resulting in some not being able to operate the switch. This resulted in the only lift-specific recommendation in the Phase 2 report: for the government to seek urgent advice from the Building Safety Regulator and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) on the nature and scale of the problem and the appropriate response to it. Concerns with the evacuation of vulnerable people recurred a number of times through the recommendations, along with a reiteration of the recommendation from the Phase 1 Report for personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) for all residents whose ability to self-evacuate may be compromised (such as persons with reduced mobility or cognition). Many of the 58 recommendations would, if adopted, have very significant impacts on the construction industry and its regulation, including some very significant implications for the lift sector. The 24-story Grenfell Tower in London caught fire in 2017, burned for 60 h and resulted in 70 deaths. The fire has been the subject of multiple investigations.