Research conducted
on behalf of the insurance industry in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire has
exposed the utter inadequacy of the laboratory tests currently used to check
the fire safety of building materials.
The Association of
British Insurers (ABI) commissioned the Fire Protection Association (FPA) to
carry out a series of carefully controlled experiments recreating more
realistic building conditions than those in which the standard tests are done,
in an effort to measure what difference these factors could make in the event
of a fire.
The real-life
factors overlooked by the official testing regime include:
- Test fires which are only
made up of wood. In modern blazes, around 20% of the materials involved
are plastic.
- Cladding materials are
sometimes tested as a sealed unit, whereas when fitted on a building they
often include gaps, and cover a far more extensive area.
- Materials tested will be in
manufacturer condition, but during their actual use will often be pierced
by things such as vents or ducts.
In its submission
to the Hackitt review, the ABI called for an end to the use of all but
non-combustible materials in construction, and a reformed testing regime that
replicates real world conditions to provide genuine evidence of how materials
perform in a fire. The results of these latest tests all reinforce the
importance of urgent reform.
Huw Evans, Director
General of the ABI, said: “Dame Judith Hackitt’s important work post-Grenfell
has already recognised the building control system is broken. This latest
research is yet more evidence that fundamental reform is needed to keep our
homes and commercial premises safe from fire. It is a matter of urgency that we
create the right testing regime that properly replicates real world conditions
and keeps pace with building innovation and modern design.”
Further tests
examining the real-life performance of cavity barriers and the differences made
by materials being unrealistically strengthened during the testing process were
also carried out and are detailed in the full report. This research has been
provided in full to the Dame Judith Hackitt review into building regulations
and fire safety, established in the wake of the devastating Grenfell Tower
blaze.
Jonathan O’Neill,
Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association said: “The results of this
important research confirm long-held concerns by many in the fire sector that
the current cladding test standard requires urgent review to ensure that systems
that pass are reflective of the systems that are installed and of the risks to
which they are exposed. We urge BSI (British Standards Institution) to urgently
reconvene the group responsible for this standard to consider the results of
this research and to make changes to the standard as required.”
