You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Government ‘to commission tests on non-ACM cladding’
The government is set to commission tests on cladding that is not made of aluminium composite material (ACM), local authority sources have claimed.
A spokesperson for Poole Housing Partnership said that now the testing of ACM cladding has finished, the government will test cladding made of other types of material.
In response to the claim, a spokesperson for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said: “The DCLG will make an announcement on further cladding testing later this week.”
A number of social landlords sent samples of cladding from their tower blocks to the DCLG following the Grenfell Tower fire but were told these would not be tested because they are not ACM.
Several landlords have previously said they plan to take no action with the cladding on their tower blocks because it is not ACM cladding and therefore has not failed the government-commissioned tests carried out by the Building Research Establishment.
READ MORE
Inside Housing has repeatedly asked the DCLG to explain why the testing programme was only focused on ACM cladding.
A spokesperson said last month that the DCLG would “keep the need for any further tests… under review”, guided by advice from its independent fire safety expert panel.
The cladding process began by testing samples of aluminium cladding, all of which failed when tested for combustibility.
The testing then moved on to more sophisticated tests, which completed last month, in which seven full-scale insulation systems with a variety of materials were tested in a laboratory environment.
Those with less fire-resistant materials failed the test, with flames ripping through the same system used on Grenfell in just seven minutes.
At least 80 people died in the fire at Grenfell Tower in June. Police later said the cladding and insulation material failed combustibility tests.
Never Again campaign
Inside Housing has launched a campaign to improve fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire
Never Again: campaign asks
Inside Housing is calling for immediate action to implement the learning from the Lakanal House fire, and a commitment to act – without delay – on learning from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as it becomes available.
LANDLORDS
- Take immediate action to check cladding and external panels on tower blocks and take prompt, appropriate action to remedy any problems
- Update risk assessments using an appropriate, qualified expert.
- Commit to renewing assessments annually and after major repair or cladding work is carried out
- Review and update evacuation policies and ‘stay put’ advice in light of risk assessments, and communicate clearly to residents
GOVERNMENT
- Provide urgent advice on the installation and upkeep of external insulation
- Update and clarify building regulations immediately – with a commitment to update if additional learning emerges at a later date from the Grenfell inquiry
- Fund the retrofitting of sprinkler systems in all tower blocks across the UK (except where there are specific structural reasons not to do so)
We will submit evidence from our research to the Grenfell public inquiry.
The inquiry should look at why opportunities to implement learning that could have prevented the fire were missed, in order to ensure similar opportunities are acted on in the future.
