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The government has held talks with the RICS to attempt to resolve confusion over its EWS1 fire safety form, which has been blamed for a hiatus in second-hand flat sales with nervous fire safety experts unwilling to sign off buildings as safe.The form has caused confusion since being published by RICS in December last year, with many banks unwilling to sign mortgages until the form has been signed. [Read More]
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Letter and update on upcoming safety works in response to the Grenfell Tower fire: 3 July 2020. The Director of Grenfell Site & Programme writes to bereaved families and former residents of Grenfell Tower about upcoming safety works that will soon be taking place in the Tower. [Read More]
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A senior fire engineer did not think cladding Grenfell Tower would pose any “particular issues or problems” for fire safety during early discussions about refurbishing the tower block, the inquiry into the disaster has heard. Clare Barker, the former principal fire engineer at Exova, did not raise the need for any proposed cladding system to have a separate fire safety assessment during a meeting in July 2012, the inquiry heard on Monday, its first sitting since mid-March after being paused by the pandemic. [Read More]
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Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the points raised under the Dame Judith Hackitt review covering compliance and competence with independently tested products, the IFC scheme was developed with the Smoke Control Association (SCA). Developed to raise the importance of smoke control and the use of the EN/BSI and ISO standards, utilizing SCA guides for fire safety in buildings alongside that of sprinklers. The IFC SDI 19 scheme is the first smoke control scheme accredited to UKAS. [Read more]
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The government’s new Fire Safety Bill would fund just 12 new officials to help cover safety inspections in two million homes, firefighters have claimed. The Fire Brigades Union accused the government of risking another Grenfell-style catastrophe and said the 951 inspectors currently in the field needed to be doubled. The new legislation would require inspections on cladding, balconies, windows and firedogs in blocks of flats, with as many as 2.2 million flats covered by the legislation, according to ministers’ estimates. [Read More]
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It has been 17 weeks since the Grenfell Tower Inquiry paused its evidence session. Ahead of its resumption on Monday 6 July, Peter Apps provides a short recap of where we are. The inquiry’s evidence sessions were halted on 17 March, as the coronavirus outbreak in the UK began to take hold. Consultation with participants about how to resume was then undertaken, with limited attendance hearings selected as the preferred option. The venue in west London has been adapted to make this possible, with the resumption set for Monday. [Read More]
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Some construction firms still can’t be trusted to make buildings that are safe from fire, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has warned. Its safety head Nick Coombe said some building firms had barely improved since the Grenfell disaster in 2017. The National Fire Chiefs Council said the construction industry was “broken” and couldn’t be trusted to follow rules.Mr Coombe said many reforms were needed, especially to building regulations, which allow builders to choose an inspector to certify their building safety. [Read More]
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Cross laminated timber (CLT) pioneers have invested in a new fire research and compliance framework to provide scientific data for CLT fire performance. Considered a robust, fast, clean, sustainable and renewable method of construction, cross laminated timber (CLT) is now widely acknowledged as having a vital role to play in reducing CO2 emissions to mitigate the climate change crisis.Existing buildings and new construction account for nearly 40% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions according to a World Green Building Council report published in September 2019. [Read More]
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