In regard to changes in legislation, the industrial safety framework has in the UK remained much the same as when it was introduced in the mid 1970s. In that, adaptions have been made to compensate for technology and changing times. However, overall the Health and Safety at Work act has protected workplaces and those in the vicinity or affected by the work of others especially well.
However what has changed is the resources given to the Health & Safety executive to enforce compliance of the act(s) and I believe this may become a factor drawn out as the enquiry procedes
As has already been stated the building regulations have changed in recent years with suppliers and manufacturers to the industry self verifying the safety standards of their products.
In the above, a weakened Safety Executive has not had the ability to test the standards of many products as they did in previous times.
It has to be stated that governments of both colours since the mid 1990s have reduced or not increased the resources available to the Safety Executive or the Safety Commission that overseas them.
I Am sure we can all remember the press campaigns of previous years speaking of the evils of "elf and safety" and campaigns against "red tape". However. governments surcoming to that pressure has sadly ended up in the cladding that was put on Grenfell Tower.
As stated, I believe that all governments of both parties have contributed to the weakening of both legislation and inspection in reagard to building safety over a considerable number of years, which has brought about the failures now being portrayed in the building industry by the Grenfell inquiry.
