There is a very famous scene in the movie: “Dude, Where’s My Car” where the two main characters - played by Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott - visit a drive-thru Chinese takeaway. Kutcher’s character order three portions of garlic chicken. A voice on the loudspeaker replies: “And then?” He orders rice. The response comes again. “And then”. So he orders soup. Still the voice is not done. “And then?” Out of desperation, he then orders fortune cookies. But that voice just keeps repeating: “And then?”
I was reminded of this scene not once, but twice last week.
In the first instance, I was reading an article in Construction Enquirer in which they reported that 39 solid wall insulation specialists had been banned by the Government from installing new insulation in people’s homes because of poor-quality work.
So, going back to movie quote: “And then?”
These 39 companies have been banned from the Government’s Energy Company Obligation 4 and Great British Insulation Scheme. And admittedly, companies responsible for substandard work will be forced to make good work at no cost to households. But what then?
They will still be allowed to work on non-Government work. Presumably, if they are a member of a trade association, their membership will not be impacted. Although it is unlikely since the sub-standard work was spread across almost 40 firms, if it transpired that the poor-quality work was down to individual workers, they will not be stripped of whatever competence card they hold.
You might say that the negative press surrounding their Government ban might impact their ability to win work in the future. Yet that most certainly didn’t happen to the companies caught up in the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into demolition collusion and bid-rigging. All but one of those companies has thrived since their involvement was revealed.
So, in the case of these 39 companies, there is no “and then”. There is a Government ban, and there is no more.
Which brings me onto the second occasion that “Dude, where’s my car” played in my head.
On Wednesday last, a building in Glasgow collapsed whilst it was under demolition.
Now, it is too early for me to describe this as a “botched” demolition. I will leave that to the experts. However, any demolition that partially buries two vehicles and spills debris into the road is hardly a paragon of demolition excellence.
I am led to believe that the site in question was visited by an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive the day after the unplanned and uncontrolled collapse. Since no-one was hurt, it will likely result in little more than a slap on the wrist.
And then? The company in question should be required to reassess their Risk Assessment and Method Statements, ideally with an independent third-party expert to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
And then? They should be required to submit the findings of any internal and external investigation to the entire demolition community.
And then? The person or persons that gave the green light to a methodology that resulted in an uncontrolled collapse should be required to sit some kind of refresher course.
And then? If it transpires that the operator cut corners or went against the stated wishes of those in charge, then he too should be required to undergo more training.
And then? There is no “and then”. Demolition in the UK is not licensed. Even if the contractor is found to have breached every safety protocol possible, their standing as a demolition contractor remains unaffected.
If the operator was at fault, he will not have his CCDO, CSCS or CPCS card revoked; neither will those cards display “penalty points” for any transgression.
And the company in question is today a member of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors. They will be a member of the NFDC tomorrow. Given that the Federation failed take sanctions again its member companies amidst the CMA debacle; and given that demolition companies that have suffered site fatalities have remained firmly in the bosom of the NFDC, they will likely remain a member for months and years to come.
So, in both instances, those responsible for sketchy insulation work and those responsible for what appears to be questionable demolition work will receive an initial punishment. There is no “and then”. And it is that lack of “and then” that ensures demolition and construction industry standards are not improved.
This topic was the subject of an in-depth discussion on today's after show chat. You can listen to the resulting podcast here.