100% Hackitt – an industry initiative to encourage the government to deliver all of the recommendations contained within Dame Judith’s report – has been launched by Local Authority Building Control (LABC) and the British Board of Agrément (BBA)
Together these organisations want to bring focus to industry calls for a full adoption of Dame Judith’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.
They are launching a new website www.100-hackitt.co.uk, producing ‘pledge cards’ for supporters to sign up to the initiative and pushing for an Early Day Motion debate in the House of Commons.
Their message is clear – the Hackitt review recommendations must be implemented in full.
Dame Judith attended the launch, delivering a keynote speech to a large number of cross-party politicians, policy advisors and industry body representatives, telling them there was ‘massive need’ for culture change throughout the industry, with responsibilities clearly defined at every stage of a building’s lifecycle.
She said: “Much remains to be done to bring the construction industry up to the standards of other industries in terms of accountability, transparency and record keeping.
“Don’t tinker, don’t tweak, it has to be fundamental.”
Claire Curtis-Thomas, BBA Chief Executive, described the 100% Hackitt initiative as ‘the best thing for the British construction industry in a generation’, adding: “The BBA is backing this initiative as strongly as we possibly can because we want to see bad practices in the industry eliminated and protection for the public and companies that are fully committed to high standards of delivery.”
Paul Everall, LABC Chief Executive added: “The LABC and the BBA share the same outlook and are determined to make a difference in our industry.
“But we’re not waiting, we’re getting on with building a safer future together – right now. The 100% Hackitt initiative is a space for everyone who wants to see systemic change in the construction industry and I hope the whole industry gets behind it.”
100% Hackitt has the support of senior figures across the construction and fire safety sector including the Fire Sector Federation, whose Executive Officer Dennis Davis said: “We are backing the 100% Hackitt initiative because we need a mandatory, controlled system that allows us to balance what we want – innovation, good buildings, new ideas, growth in our economy – with sensible restraint that ensures shortcuts and economies aren’t made and shows that people are competent, resulting in safe building for those who occupy them.”
Jonathan Shaw, Chief Executive of Policy Connect, said: “The Hackitt review represents a once in a generation opportunity to recast the building system and start to build safer, better designed homes. We will discuss how the review can bring about positive change in the construction industry, what still remains to be done and where the Hackitt review could have gone further so that we can encourage the industry to push for change.”
For further information about 100% Hackitt visit: www.100-hackitt.co.uk.
While I’m with the principal of wholesale review I cannot get behind the lack of desktop review as an Engineer.
As an Engineer desktop review is ALL I do! I do NOT test every beam, column and connection to destruction or SLS deflection. I DO calculations to prove. Why, oh why, can we not, as other parts of the world do (Australia and America) and CALCULATE fire performance as we would structural performance. To say we don’t know how is falsity!
I have also to ask why test houses have NOT tested load bearing systems to expected load capacity as required in or EN 1365? 30kN is NOT load capacity of load bearing walls!!!