Image: Metropolitan Police
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has written a circular letter to building owners and Building Control bodies to offer advice on recladding tall buildings in the wake of the Grenfell fire.
In particular, it warns of the increased dangers in the wake of removing the existing cladding system.
The guidance says: “In assessing the safety of the cladding system it may be necessary to remove isolated panels either to reveal the construction build up or for testing purposes. In doing so, care should be taken not to create conditions which may worsen the integrity of the cladding system.
“This could include exposing insulation or other materials to rain which can affect structural integrity and water tightness, or leaving material exposed which could reduce fire performance.
“Where sample panels are removed, they should be replaced immediately with a suitable material which ensures continued compliance with all the applicable Parts of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations including Approved Document B guidance.”
Another area it focuses on is the structural integrity and the warns of compromising the existing structure with heavier cladding.
“Replacement cladding may be heavier than the existing system and cladding panels, or insulation materials may have a lower resistance to fixings pulling through than the original panels,” it says. “For example, replacement insulation may be heavier, particularly if it can absorb water (e.g. from rain during installation or rain penetration through the outer cladding).
“In addition, removal of the original panels may damage fixings, the fixing system or the building substrate.
“If fixings or a fixing system is to be reused, the original design and suitability for the new application should be checked. This should also include an assessment of resistance to wind loads.
“It should not be assumed that the original specification of fixings was adequate as there is always a risk that the original system was not designed or installed correctly. Fixings should take account of the condition of the building substrate and performance in a fire.”
The guidance can be found here
Meanwhile, in further developments in the aftermath of the disaster, leading safety bodies are set to meet ministers for talks on the UK’s building and fire regulations.
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), British Safety Council (BSC) and Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) are among organisations calling on the government for “a change in mind-set” on safety regulations following the tragedy in which at least 80 people lost their lives.
In an open letter to Theresa May, they are among more than 1,000 signatories urging the government to scrap its approach to health and safety deregulation and think again.
“We believe it is vital that this disaster marks a turning point for improved fire safety awareness and wider appreciation that good health and safety is an investment, not a cost,” the letter states.
The letter prompted a two-hour debate on 13 July 2017 in the Lords, led by Baroness Andrews, culminating in an agreement by Lord Prior, of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that a meeting should take place between the safety industry and government representatives.
