ICE Grenfell Tower review

On 19 July 2017, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) announced it would carry out a review to examine what wider lessons could be learned from the Grenfell Tower fire. The review will recommend changes to policy or practice to reduce the risk of future failures.

The review was requested by ICE President, Professor Tim Broyd, and will be led by former government chief construction advisor and ICE Past President Professor Peter Hansford. It will have a wide remit to identify systemic issues highlighted by the Grenfell Tower fire but will not duplicate the work of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry announced by the Prime Minister, and will not address matters subject to criminal investigation.

It will cover:

Competency and capability within owners, clients and all tiers of the supply chain, including capabilities to understand and manage whole systems.
Responsibility and accountability for safety at all stages of assets' lifecycle.
Inspection and quality assurance regimes during and following construction, operational management and in-service modification, refurbishment and re-fit.
Creation, maintenance and implementation of regulation, guidance, codes and standards.
Assessment and management of system-related risks.
Effectiveness of industry efforts to understand and apply lessons from recent catastrophic failures and the impact of procurement practice, commercial arrangements and changes to professional roles and culture.

ICE President Professor Tim Broyd said; "ICE's aim with this review is to establish what needs to be done to mitigate the risk of a similar tragedy resulting from the failure of infrastructure assets or networks.”

Former government chief construction advisor and ICE Past President Professor Peter Hansford.

Review Chairman Professor Peter Hansford said; "The Grenfell Tower tragedy has quite rightly led to a period of deep reflection among civil engineers about what the failings at Grenfell highlight for practices across the construction sector. Inevitably the judicial inquiry and any criminal investigation may take time to complete. It is important however that the profession moves quickly to capture and implement lessons as quickly as possible."

The review is expected to be completed by October 2017.

--The Institution of Civil Engineers