Housing - health and safety
Question by Moira Samuels
- Appears at 01:03:00 in Council Meeting Webcast on 18 July 2018
The Council takes its responsibility for the safety of its residents very seriously.
The Council has commissioned new Fire Risk Assessments for Council-owned housing blocks. This programme is being undertaken by independent fire safety professionals and is due for completion in September 2018. Once the fire risk assessments are completed they are rigorously scrutinised and quality checked and the final report is uploaded to the Council’s website so that they are available for all to see. The high rise blocks (that is, all blocks over 10 storeys), were prioritised to be done first in the programme. The reports identify actions needed to be carried out, and these are prioritised in order to be completed.
Alongside this process, we are already undertaking a programme of installing fire doors – both front doors and communal doors – and door closers. The Council is also commissioning a programme of smoke and fire detection systems installation, and is undertaking an options analysis into the installation of sprinkler systems. In certain blocks, shutter systems have also been installed as additional fire protection.
The Council is working alongside the London Fire Brigade and other local authorities to identify and address any health and safety issues within our blocks, and to respond to new government guidance and reviews, such as the Hackitt Report.
It should be noted that fires do happen within residential properties. What we need to do is ensure that when they occur, that they are contained and residents are kept safe.