Grenfell Tower: Behind the Scaffold | John Houlihan

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Episode #042 | John Houlihan

Health & Safety Manager John Houlihan worked for the main scaffolding contractor on Grenfell immediately after the disaster of June 2017.

In this impactful & poignant episode of the Construction Sport Podcast, he shares his first-hand perspective on the treatment of construction workers & mental health struggles, the immense logistics of the scaffold, and the politics of accountability.

This isn’t just a story about scaffolding. It's a rare insight into one of the most sensitive projects UK construction has ever faced, told by someone who was there day by day.

📝Citations/Reports:

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/19iWqn-oIoLI9uS77kOuap0OIjVgFqWR6/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wCfeVKzSFW82FJz5yivFH8vO_OuPm4WX/view?usp=sharing

- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YfJXjyLwP7orEov8_a7_AJjMlvgZY8Bv/view?usp=sharing

🔗Connect with John on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-houlihan-cmiosh-57149b19/

Watch On YouTube - https://youtu.be/TrcexNQZKqU

Listen On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/0JiUC4o0UejAyOPNrDhdBY?si=uV_8Q5fcTO6u58wMPDEvCA

Listen On Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grenfell-tower-behind-the-scaffold-john-houlihan/id1778487912?i=1000722792601

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⏲TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro! John’s Irish Background, & SUPER TROWEL + Ice Skip Recap!

09:03 John’s Story of Heading up the Scaffold for Grenfell Tower.

21:42 Why working on Grenfell was unfair & worse for Scaffolders (Mental Health)

27:43 In-depth Logistics of how & why Scaffolding was Erected + Monitored

33:00 How Construction Workers were treated vs All other teams on Grenfell

39:45 More Post-Disaster Logistics & Scaffold Dismantling + Staff Turnover

43:25 Lack of Health Support for workers + Why John got Exiled from the job…

51:59 Scaffold Politics + How & When will Grenfell’s Scaffolding be taken down?

56:41 Accountability, Government, & HSE. Enforcing Legislation? + Health & Safety

01:02:13 How the Industry was affected + Grenfell Today & Scaffolder Stereotypes

01:09:47 John’s Invention: ScaffGap & His Consulting Work + Supporting Construction Sport

01:22:45 Outro

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