Just a few weeks ago, the London Fire Brigade reported that 225 firefighters were sent to an apartment building fire in Dagenham, London. Flames had raced up the side and engulfed the building that was undergoing remedial work to remove non-compliant cladding.
This news immediately brings back memories of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire. It also just so happens that the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report has also just been published.
This report has come 7 years after the fire and concludes that the fire was a result of “decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry to look carefully into the danger of incorporating combustible materials into the external walls of high-rise residential buildings and to act on the information available to them.”
The report also says that “One very significant reason why Grenfell Tower came to be clad in combustible materials was systematic dishonesty on the part of those who made and sold the rainscreen cladding panels and insulation products. They engaged in deliberate and sustained strategies to manipulate the testing processes, misrepresent test data and mislead the market.”
The Council and the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) were jointly responsible for the management of fire safety at Grenfell Tower. The report describes a persistent indifference to fire safety and chronic and systemic failings in its management. Issues and recommendations were given over the years with no action taken. The TMO had only one fire assessor for its entire estate, and he wasn’t even suitably qualified.
In Australia, we also have at risk buildings with combustible cladding. The Cladding Safety Victoria 2022/23 annual report says, “there are 1,588 buildings within Victoria that have been identified for consideration under CSV’s residential program”. The same report says that works have been completed on 250 buildings. So there seems to be a long way to go.
Do you feel safe in your apartment?
If you would like to listen to our podcast on the Grenfell Tower fire click below.