Leading safety bodies are set to meet ministers for talks on the UK\u2019s building and fire regulations in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, which are thought will have a major effect on the Construction Industry.<\/p>\n
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health <\/a>(IOSH), British Safety Council <\/a>(BSC) and Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents <\/a>(RoSPA) are among organisations calling on the Government for \u2018a change in mind-set\u2019 on safety regulations following the tragedy in which at least 80 people lost their lives.<\/p>\n In an open letter to Theresa May, they are among more than 1,000 signatories urging the Government to scrap its approach to health and safety deregulation and think again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe it is vital that this disaster marks a turning point for improved fire safety awareness and wider appreciation that good health and safety is an investment, not a cost,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n The letter prompted a two-hour debate on 13 July 2017 in the Lords, led by Baroness Andrews, culminating in an agreement by Lord Prior, of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that a meeting should take place between the safety industry and Government representatives.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the crux of this debate is whether the pendulum has swung too far with deregulation, and that is a matter of judgement,\u201d he said. \u201cThe awful tragedy of Grenfell Tower will make us rethink these issues and I hope it will change the culture that surrounds the way we look at regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n IOSH, BSC and RoSPA have been working with Baroness Andrews ahead of the debate on the impact of deregulation on public services and health and safety.<\/p>\n Speaking after the debate, the former chair of English Heritage said: \u201cI am encouraged that the minister agreed that the culture should change and that the meeting should take place with the safety bodies behind the letter to Theresa May.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"