Health and Safety Executive inspectors from its investigations and building safety division yesterday (29 August) attended the site of a residential block of flats in Dagenham where a fire broke on Monday.
A total of 40 fire engines and around 225 firefighters tackled the blaze at Spectrum House on Freshwater Road, which was undergoing remedial works to replace non-compliant cladding.
Everyone was accounted for during the evacuation.
HSE is continuing to make inquiries into the fire and is working with first responders and the London Fire Brigade (LFB) on the way forward with their respective investigations.
LFB’s commissioner Andy Roe said the building had safety issues known to the fire brigade.
Undergoing remediation
Spectrum House was a working site undergoing remediation when the fire happened. Therefore, a joint investigation team within HSE will work with the LFB, the police and other parties, including Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council.
HSE said the investigation will look into how the cladding remediation works were organised and undertaken, and whether this was a factor in the fire. It will also look at whether the Principal Accountable Person for the building had discharged their duties under Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022 in relation to the spread of the fire.
Under the Building Safety Act, anyone who has a legal responsibility for repairing or maintaining part or all of the common parts of a higher-risk building will be an Accountable Person (AP). If there is more than one AP in relation to a particular higher-risk building, the AP who is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the structure and the exterior of the building will be deemed to be the Principal Accountable Person.
An AP can be either an organisation or an individual.
HSE added that it is also working with LFB to determine the circumstances of a separate fire that happened on the same day at New Providence Wharf in Blackwell, East London.
