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Building regulations to be reviewed after safety tests prompted by Grenfell fire Building regulations to be reviewed after safety tests prompted by Grenfell fire
(35 minutes later)
The government has announced an independent review of building regulations after tests showed that at least 82 high-rise residential blocks use a combination of insulation and cladding that does not meet fire safety standards.The government has announced an independent review of building regulations after tests showed that at least 82 high-rise residential blocks use a combination of insulation and cladding that does not meet fire safety standards.
The tests, which were ordered following the Grenfell Tower blaze, initially involved a large-scale fire test with the same combination of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding and insulation used on the north Kensington block.The tests, which were ordered following the Grenfell Tower blaze, initially involved a large-scale fire test with the same combination of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding and insulation used on the north Kensington block.
The Department for Communities and Local Government said tests on a 9m-high demonstration wall found the combination did not meet safety standards for preventing vertical fire spread, when subjected to a simulated blaze inside a flat. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said tests on a 9m-high demonstration wall found the combination did not meet safety standards for preventing vertical fire spread, when subjected to a simulated blaze inside a flat.
Details of the test, carried out by the Building Research Establishment, showed the simulated cladding wall saw flames spread to the top in just eight minutes, with peak temperatures of more than 800C.
Of the 82 blocks so far identified that use the combination, 47 are owned or maintained by local authorities, the DCLG said. It has not identified their locations, but nine are known to be in Salford, Greater Manchester.Of the 82 blocks so far identified that use the combination, 47 are owned or maintained by local authorities, the DCLG said. It has not identified their locations, but nine are known to be in Salford, Greater Manchester.
The inquiry will be led by Dame Judith Hackitt, who chaired the Health and Safety Executive and heads the EEF manufacturers’ organisation. The inquiry will be led by Dame Judith Hackitt, who chaired the Health and Safety Executive and chairs the EEF manufacturers’ organisation.
After the Grenfell fire on 14 July, in which about 80 people are known to have died, the government commissioned tests on types of ACM cladding used on the block that were identified as a factor in the rapid spread of the blaze. Advice to building owners released simultaneously by the DCLG warns that while the tests will eventually involve combinations of three types of cladding and two sorts of foam insulation, the expert panel does not expect any of these would meet current building regulations advice.
The DCLG thus urges owners to seek an urgent safety audit from their local fire service, and to put in place a plan to potentially remove the cladding, replacing it will one that uses filler and insulation of limited combustibility, for example mineral wool insulation.
The costs of this will usually be met by local authorities and housing associations, the DCLG has said, though the department will “work with relevant bodies so current restrictions on the use of their financial resources do not prevent them from making essential fire safety upgrades to buildings”.
After the Grenfell fire on 14 June, in which at least 80 people are known to have died, the government commissioned tests on types of ACM cladding used on the block that were identified as a factor in the rapid spread of the blaze.
Subsequently, a panel of fire safety experts appointed by the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, recommended that more thorough tests should be carried out involving three different forms of ACM cladding combined with various types of insulation.Subsequently, a panel of fire safety experts appointed by the communities secretary, Sajid Javid, recommended that more thorough tests should be carried out involving three different forms of ACM cladding combined with various types of insulation.
The first type tested was the same as that used on Grenfell Tower, with tests on other combinations to be carried out soon. The first type tested, involving ACM cladding with polyethylene filler and rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam insulation, was the same as that used on Grenfell Tower, with tests on other combinations being carried out soon.
Announcing the inquiry into building regulations, a DCLG statement said action was underway “to ensure the safety of residents in these buildings”.
It added: “But the results also make clear that we need to understand how current building regulations and fire safety works in order to make them as effective as possible in the future.”
Hackitt’s inquiry will examine the relevant regulations and how they are enforced, reporting to Javid and the some secretary, Amber Rudd. The plan is for an interim report before the end of the year, and a final report no later than spring 2018.
A DCLG statement said the initial tests, using the ACM cladding with polyethylene filler and foam insulation, with the mandated fire breaks and cavity barriers in place, did not meet current safety stanards.
The expert panel said: “This reconfirms the advice already provided to building owners about the immediate steps they should take to ensure buildings are safe. Landlords of buildings with cladding using the same combination of materials as in this first full scale test must now act on the additional advice they have been given since this test, to seek professional advice about any necessary remedial work.”
Javid said it was “clear we need to urgently look at building regulations and fire safety”.
He said: “This independent review will ensure we can swiftly make any necessary improvements. Government is determined to make sure that we learn the lessons from Grenfell Tower fire, and to ensure nothing like it can happen again.”
Hackitt said: “I am keen to engage widely with industry and the public to inform the recommendations from the review. I want the recommendations to lead to any necessary improvements in the system being made.”
The terms of the reference for the review will be published later in the summer, once the terms of reference for the wider Grenfell public inquiry have been confirmed.