A non-profit organisation has warned about a “culture of silence” in the construction industry when it comes to reporting safety issues
As reported in Building Magazine, the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) revealed that construction workers were being deterred from speaking out about “dangerous or sub-optimal materials” being used on buildings.
The independently run organisation, which works alongside the construction industry, makes around 10,000 monitoring visits to construction sites each year. The organisation’s aim is to “raise industry standards and build public trust”.
Amit Oberoi, executive chairman of the CCS, said: “We want to sound the alarm that we are still sleepwalking towards the next industry tragedy. The Grenfell fire occurred because of a culture of chasing profits over performance and speed of delivery over safety.
“But also – beyond this – a culture of silence in the industry, which deters frontline construction staff from speaking out about dangerous or sub-optimal materials they are being asked to use in builds.”
Concerns about “serious deficiencies” were raised in the recently published Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.
“Safety of people in the built environment depends principally on a combination of three primary elements, good design, the choice of suitable materials, and sound methods of construction, each of which depends in turn in a large measure on a fourth, the skill, knowledge and experience of those engaged in the construction industry. Unfortunately, as our investigations have shown, at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire there were serious deficiencies in all four of those areas,” the Inquiry panel stated in the lengthy report.
Oberoi stated that since the report’s release, “workers of all backgrounds” had approached the CCS to share their worries. He said that they were “concerned and even frightened about the poor quality of materials” they were being asked to use, “either because of cost-cutting or simply trying to build more with less”.
He said: “These are good people trying to deliver high quality buildings that will last safely for generations. But many cannot – in good faith – carry on in an industry which does not want to raise standards.
“These issues of quality and safety impact way beyond the public good, but also speak to why many skilled people are leaving the building industry at the very moment we need them the most.”
In October 2024, CCS announced it had completed its acquisition of the Building a Safer Future (BSF) programme. Launched in response to the Grenfell Tower fire, the programme looked to create a “more robust regulatory framework and promote a culture of safety within the built environment”. The non-profit added that it has extended the scope of the programme beyond high-rise buildings to cover buildings of all heights and all construction activity and companies.
At the time, non-executive director for CCS, Peter Caplehorn said: “The acquisition signals our continued commitment to improved safety and standards in the construction industry. Having originally managed the Charter, CCS is the commonsense future home for the BSF business, staff and clients. While having different focal points, we share common goals around safety, collaboration and a culture of improvement.”