A worrying lack of awareness across the construction industry about fire safety was one of the many lessons that emerged from the Grenfell Fire five years ago and the subsequent inquiry.
As a result the CITB, in consultation with the industry, has developed two new online courses relating to fire safety.
The first course, Fire safety awareness in construction and the built environment, is free and aimed at workers of all levels and occupations. Participants can complete the course in their own time, from home if they wish, within two hours – although they can take longer if they wish – and get a certificate on completion. They also have 12 months of unlimited access to the eLearning portal.
This course covers how fires start, grow and spread, as well common sources of ignition and fuel on building sites, fire prevention and protection measures, safe evacuation and the impact of fire on the environment, communities and individuals.
The second online course, Fire Safety in Buildings, will be available this summer. (Cost not yet specified.) This course is pitched at a higher level than the awareness course, with the aim of providing industry a greater level of knowledge of fire safety in buildings, following the construction stage.
Topics include how legislation and regulations have changed since the Grenfell Tower fire. It also provides guidance on fire safety, fire prevention (materials), protection (passive and active), compartmentation, protected escape routes, workmanship, competence, quality, reporting issues and concerns.
On 14th June 2017 a fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in west London, resulting in the death of 72 inhabitants. One of the many recommendations of a subsequent review, led by Dame Judith Hackitt, was for action to improve the lack of basic fire safety awareness in the construction and buildings maintenance workforce.
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