Last week, I took some quiet time alone to fully focus on watching the Netflix documentary Grenfell: Uncovered, which explores the failings behind the Grenfell fire in June 2017. Of course, I know the figures and the headlines behind this tragic event. All safety professionals know about it as it has shaped our work over the last few years and of course it was one of the largest losses of life from a fire we have known in recent times.

The documentary has had a profound effect on me, and I have been reflecting on it all week.

Having worked in housing for more years than I care to remember, watching the Grenfell documentary was a sobering experience. It highlighted systemic challenges that many housing organisations face - particularly around procurement processes and the constant pressure to deliver value for money. 

We also rely on Building Regulations as a benchmark for safety – but it’s important to remember that Building Regulations set only a minimum standard and surely, as housing providers, we want to aim for the highest level of safety that we can afford. If achieving those higher standards isn’t possible then we should be asking if a different approach is needed, one that prioritises long-term safety and the wellbeing of our customers above all else. If that’s not feasible, then we shouldn’t be doing it at all.

The individual stories of the survivors and victims will forever stay with me and the love and respect that family members and friends showed when talking about their lost loved ones.

What’s been weighing most on my mind is the way we, as technical officers, often rely on our expertise to guide decisions - understandably so, as we are trained professionals, and like most organisations, we continually invest in our colleagues to ensure they stay up to date with the latest training, guidance, and best practices. But expertise doesn’t always mean we have all the answers. How many of us have been to our GP with some nebulous symptom – we know something is wrong, but our GP says you have a virus or it's stress or something. We go on like that for some time, until eventually something major happens and the GP admits that you have a condition that does need treatment. This is similar to what happened at Grenfell, I believe and there were many lost chances to stop this terrible tragedy.

My main takeaway is this: while we do listen to our customers - we must continue to deepen that listening. When customers take the time to tell us they are not happy, we need to really listen as we don’t live in their skin or their homes – so we can’t know everything that they are experiencing.

I, for one, have lived and breathed safety for all my life and this has just made me even more motivated and committed to ensuring that all of our colleagues and customers can live and work safely in our offices, homes and estates. That’s why I remain fully dedicated to championing a strong safety culture across Halton Housing, working with others to keep it front and centre in everything we do.

Finally, I urge you to take some time out to watch the documentary and really listen to your customers when they want to talk – customers might not always want to engage – but when they do, it's because it's important to them so this is when we must listen the most.

Pictured: Members of Halton Housing’s Health and Safety team. Grenfell: Uncovered cover image courtesy of Netflix.