Fourth cladding system fails test
The government review into the Building Regulations is expected to have produced an interim report by the Autumn, with a final report submitted by Spring 2018. The timescale was announced as the terms of reference for the independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety were published.
This Review ordered by Government in the wake of the Grenfell fire tragedy will urgently assess the effectiveness of current building and fire safety regulations and related compliance and enforcement issues, with a focus on multi occupancy high rise residential buildings. This will include addressing whether the government’s large-scale cladding system testing programme identified any potential systemic failures.
The Review’s 2 key priorities are to develop a more robust regulatory system for the future and provide further assurance to residents that the buildings they live in are safe and remain safe.
Dame Judith Hackitt, the former chair of the HSE, is leading the Review which will report jointly to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. An interim report will be submitted in autumn 2017 and a final report submitted in spring 2018. The Review will co-operate fully with the Public Inquiry, and Dame Judith Hackitt will review her recommendations in the light of the findings of the Inquiry.
The Review will:
- Map the current regulatory system (i.e. the regulations, guidance and processes) as it applies to new and existing buildings through planning, design, construction, maintenance, refurbishment and change management;
- Consider the competencies, duties and balance of responsibilities of key individuals within the system in ensuring that fire safety standards are adhered to;
- Assess the theoretical coherence of the current regulatory system and how it operates in practice;
- Compare this with other international regulatory systems for buildings and regulatory systems in other sectors with similar safety risks;
- Make recommendations that ensure the regulatory system is fit for purpose with a particular focus on multi-occupancy high-rise residential buildings.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said: ”We must learn the lessons of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and ensure that a fire like this cannot happen again. Following the fire, I commissioned a series of large-scale tests, which have raised the question of whether there have been potential systemic failures within the building regulatory and fire safety system.”
The news comes as the large-scale testing by the BRE of Aluminium Composite Material cladding panel with various types of filler and insulation found that over 220 towers in the UK currently fail the Building regulations for fire safety.
However, it has been reported that Fire Protection Association (FPA) will be carrying out similar – but more rigorous – tests on cladding systems, because it lacks confidence in those carried out by the BRE.
Inside housing reported that the FPA will add windows and other fixings to the walls – features that would be in place on an ordinary wall, but were absent from the government testing.
The FPA believes this is necessary because holes needed for screws and nails can cause fire safety issues, and the materials used to make windows can assist a fire.e to spread or enter the inside of a building.
