SR Timber has said it applauds the announcement of a new government regulator working under the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), saying it is welcome, but long overdue.
The new regulatory body will have the power to remove any product from the market that presents a significant safety risk, and can prosecute any companies flouting the rules on safety regulations, in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
However, the timber company said that reputable businesses within the construction industry have been crying out for such a body for years, and that it was a shame that it took the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 73 people, to prompt the government to act.
Shaun Revill, trading director at SR Timber, said that his company has long championed the use of quality products that are compliant with British Standards, and it has also been outspoken in its criticism of the ease with which poor-quality or even fake materials can be used as part of the construction of a house – with no real policing of standards.
“The government must be commended for setting up the new division of the OPSS, and hopefully it will have the teeth required to put an end to poor-quality materials being used in the construction sector – particularly for houses and apartment blocks,” Shaun said.
“On the flipside, the fact that the government has been forced to act does suggest that this problem could be just the tip of the iceberg and that, despite the best intentions of agencies such as the British Standards Institution, the rules are being systematically flouted. This makes a mockery of the accreditations that this country has in place, which are supposed to set the highest standards around quality and usage.”
Shaun continued: “I have seen first-hand examples of roofing batten being used as part of the construction of houses that does not meet the requirements of BS 5534:2014+A2:2018 – and it’s frustrating that there hasn’t been anything done about it.
“Until now, the system has relied on eagle-eyed building inspectors or calls to Trading Standards about clear and obvious cases of materials that aren’t compliant with the relevant standards.”
