A new Industry Response Group (IRG), made up of government and
construction industry representatives, will help ensure the
construction sector can meet the challenges following the Grenfell
Tower fire.
The IRG will complement the work of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel (IEAP)
established in June 2017 by government to advise on immediate steps
to ensure building safety.
Following initial tests on the combustibility of Aluminium
Composite Material (ACM) cladding, the government has commissioned
the Building Research Establishment to undertake further tests.
These will help establish how different types of ACM panels in
combination with different types of insulation behave in a
fire.
Once the results are published it may be necessary that quick
action is taken and the construction industry has acknowledged that
it needs to help coordinate the industry's response to the
challenges of implementing recommendations from the IEAP and
government. To ensure firms can meet these challenges the new group
will lead the industry's response and ensure the sector can meet
any new demands.
The group, which will be inclusive and cross-industry
and led by the sector, will take forward work that
will:
- provide essential advice on possible solutions for use in
particular types of buildings to ensure homes, offices and public
buildings are safe
- provide advice on better ways of building and the latest
methods of construction, and ensure access to the necessary
technical expertise in industry when required
- help mobilise the UK industry if any major programmes of
construction work is needed, by acting as a focal point for
government-industry communications
- advise government on the relevant sub-sectors of the
construction industry, their expertise and capacity to deliver work
at pace.
The IRG will include representatives from three major
industry bodies in the UK:
- Build UK - the leading representative organisation for the
construction industry
- Construction Industry Council - the representative forum for
the professional bodies, research organisations and specialist
business associations for professional services providers in the
construction industry
- Construction Products Association - the UK's manufacturers and
distributors of construction products and materials.
Read more on the IRG and the three organisations
that will lead and coordinate contributions from across the
construction sector.