Who approved killer cladding?
Revealed: The deadly panels should NEVER have passed safety checks
SURVIVORS of the Grenfell Tower inferno yesterday demanded to know why the building was swathed in cladding which has now failed all known safety checks.
Detectives said they were considering manslaughter charges after the insulation used in the building was also blamed for the shocking speed of the blaze which tore through the West London block last week, leaving 79 people feared dead.
Experts said it was the manufacturer’s duty to get the material signed off by an independent testing house. This can be done anywhere in the world, with the rigour of testing varying from country to country.
The aluminium exterior panels on Grenfell were made by made by US firm Arconic, which last night refused to comment on who had signed them off.
However, the company warns it is ‘crucial’ that the panels – called Reynobond PE – should not be fitted on buildings above 32ft, which is about the first four storeys, ‘to avoid fire spreading extremely rapidly’.
This raises questions about why it was chosen to cover the 220ft Grenfell Tower during a recent refurbishment. Separately, the Celotex RS5000 insulation fitted to Grenfell Tower during its refurbishment will no longer be supplied for use in cladding on high-rise buildings, its manufacturer said yesterday.
Russ Timpson, head of the London-based Tall Building Fire Safety Network, said the onus was on the manufacturers of panels to get them tested for fire safety. He added: ‘There are a variety of testing houses in the industry. The testing houses in the UK are generally very good, but there is a bit of variation in how rigorous the testing houses are around the world. But there have been cases in the past where companies have had products tested in regions where the regulations are not up to the same standard as the UK.’
Mr Timpson added: ‘All products have to meet certain EU specifications, but the certificate can be got from any testing house.
‘The product will be tested and when it is finished it will have a fire performance rating.
‘Obviously the certificate that comes with the product will say where it was approved and which testing house approved it, but it is just one of many things that needs to be looked at by the approved inspectors, and it is down to the competency of that inspector whether it gets overlooked or not.’
Grenfell resident Maryam Adam, who had to flee the fire, said: ‘We always had concerns about the materials used and we wondered why the refurbishment was needed as it was warm enough already.
‘Many of my wonderful neighbours have been lost in this fire. Their relatives need to be told why these materials were chosen.’
Police have begun questioning the individuals and firms responsible for the refurbishment and building works carried out on the tower block.
Officers have seized documents and materials as they consider whether criminal offences have been committed.
Both the aluminium composite cladding tiles and insulation failed all safety checks in the wake of the fire. Initial testing by the Building Research Establishment, based in Watford, Hertfordshire, revealed it was the insulation behind the aluminium tiles which burned so quickly. There were several makes of insulation surrounding the tower and experts are pulling burnt sections off the skin of the building to examine them further.
Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘There isn’t a name on them, they are still doing that work to identify them. The insulation was more flammable than the cladding.
‘It is very unusual for the Met to deal with this type of building fire. That is why we are getting specialists in.
‘The tests we have done so far are small-scale emergency tests, more to do with public safety than our criminal investigation. They do not pass any of the safety tests.
‘We are looking at every criminal offence, including manslaughter.’
‘We are looking at every criminal offence’