黑洞社区

Grenfell main contractor Rydon鈥檚 first project manager on the tower block refurbishment quit the company because of work pressures, the inquiry into the disaster has heard.

Simon O鈥機onnor was project manager for the Grenfell Tower job from May 2014 to July 2015 鈥� when he resigned and was transferred to another Rydon project in north-east London to work out his notice. 

Thursday鈥檚 session of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry heard that the west London tower 鈥� which caught fire in 2017 with the loss of 72 lives 鈥� had been O鈥機onnor鈥檚 first job as project manager with Rydon, even though he had worked for the firm since 2002.

Although O鈥機onnor was physically present at the session, inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick last year accepted an application that he should not be visible while giving evidence. When O鈥機onnor responded to questions the inquiry鈥檚 holding screen was displayed on its streaming service.

Inquiry barrister Richard Millett QC asked O鈥機onnor about his experience of project management and working on cladding projects.

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O鈥機onnor said he had worked his way up in Rydon after starting as a foreman, adding that, although he had worked on the firm鈥檚 tower block cladding project at the Chalcots Estate in Camden, he had not been involved with the cladding and that Grenfell was his first experience of such work.

Asked whether he had ever familiarised himself with the detailed properties of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding, the kind used at the Chalcots and Grenfell, O鈥機onnor said he had not.

Millett asked O鈥機onnor if he had been familiar with 黑洞社区 Regulations during his time on the project.

鈥淚 was aware that they were there, but wasn鈥檛 familiar, no,鈥� O鈥機onnor replied.

Millett asked O鈥機onnor whether Rydon had a system of educating its project managers on 黑洞社区 Regulations. O鈥機onnor said: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe so.鈥�

He added: 鈥淭here was no training to say 鈥榤ake sure you read this document鈥� or 鈥榤ake sure you read that document鈥�.鈥�

Asked why he had left Rydon, O鈥機onnor attributed the decision directly to the demands of the Grenfell contract.

鈥淭here were a lot of pressures at the project at Grenfell,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were falling behind programme; there was a lot of pressure and I was given the opportunity to join another company for significantly more money.鈥�

Asked about the pressures on site, O鈥機onnor cited 鈥渆xtremely long days鈥� that were affecting his home life and said that when he was given the opportunity to leave he did not take the decision lightly but added he 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 turn it down鈥�.

O鈥機onnor told the hearing that he was aware work on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment was running roughly nine weeks behind schedule by May or June 2015. Thursday鈥檚 session heard that work was around 12 weeks behind schedule by October of that year.

Millett asked O鈥機onnor whether he had ever carried out checks on products installed as part of the Grenfell refurbishment and discovered that an incorrect item had been received or fitted. O鈥機onnor said he did not recall such a situation.

Under further questioning, O鈥機onnor said the use of incorrect products would most likely have been spotted by Rydon when the work was 鈥渙ffered鈥� to the firm for inspection by subcontractors.

鈥淭he subcontractors would order materials and they would be delivered to site,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey wouldn鈥檛 have particularly been checked by a Rydon manager. We were using trusted, tried and tested contractors.鈥�

Millett asked whether any checks on products were made earlier on, either at the ordering stage or the delivery stage, to make sure that the correct items were coming onto site and being installed. O鈥機onnor replied: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe so.鈥�

He was asked whether he was aware that Kingspan Kooltherm K15 insulation was used on Grenfell Tower as well as well as the specified Celotex RS5000. O鈥機onnor replied that he was not.

Millett said the inquiry team could find no record of a different product other than the specified Celotex RS5000 being installed at Grenfell.

O鈥機onnor said he could not explain why there was no record of an incorrect insulation product having been installed.

Thursday鈥檚 session heard that other undocumented product substitutions on the project included swapping Kingspan TP10 infill panels between windows for a Styrofoam product.

The inquiry continues.