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.
đź“ťCitations/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
đź”—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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