UK ban on certain combustible materials criticised for not going far enough

News that the UK Government will partially ban the use of combustible material on some new buildings has been welcomed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), but criticised by the country’s Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and property insurer FM Global for not going far enough. At the Conservative Party Conference yesterday, James Brokenshire, UK secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said his government would ban the use of certain combustible materials on key new builds. This includes certain types of cladding for all new schools, hospitals, care homes, student accommodation and residential properties rising over 18 metres. The ABI welcomed the ban, which follows several reports into what went wrong in the Grenfell fire tragedy. However, it also called for the government to go further. Huw Evans, director general of the ABI, said: “We welcome the ban on combustible materials in schools, hospitals, and care homes. We now need to include high-risk commercial premises in the ban, and update fire testing of building materials, to ensure that the Grenfell tragedy never happens again.” The UK’s FBU said the “partial ban” on the future use of “some flammable cladding” is not enough. Its general secretary, Matt Wrack, said this is “not the outright ban on combustible cladding that firefighters have been calling for”. He said the UK Government continues to allow the use of cladding with limited combustibility for any future building work. The FBU wants a universal ban on such materials. The government has decided to still allow the use of A2 materials that have “no significant” contribution to fire, when the FBU believes they should only permit the use of A1 materials that have no contribution at all. Mr Wrack said: “They continue to allow A2…when they should permit only the highest standard of A1.” In addition, he said the government’s proposals should apply to all buildings, whatever their height or use. The expert also warned that the proposals do not deal with existing cladding on nearly 500 buildings across England where people live and work every day. Mr Wrack said the government’s announcement is designed for “political convenience, not for thoroughgoing change”. “The failings in the fire safety regime are far wider than just the materials used. The whole deregulated system and weak guidance needs to be overhauled,” he added. “Many residents of high-rise residential buildings and firefighters wanted more comprehensive action taken against flammable cladding. This government has failed to deliver,” Mr Wrack continued. Tom Roche, senior consultant for international codes and standards at property insurer FM Global, said the ban is a step in the right direction but building owners should not assume it will be enough to protect their properties. He said the ban does “nothing” to reduce fire risk for buildings below 18 metres, which is “a grievous oversight when large-scale commercial and residential buildings often fall below this height”. Mr Roche also said the ban fails to mandate the use of sprinklers. “Fire protection systems such as sprinklers are still not mandatory for all high-rise buildings in the UK. Even once this ban is in effect, building owners must go above and beyond current regulatory guidance in order to make sure that their buildings are effectively protected from fire risk,” he said. The FBU’s Mr Wrack added that fire authorities and local councils need to be fully funded to carry out fire safety inspections now and in the future. He also called on government to change the law to ensure firefighters and tenants are consulted on safety matters in homes. The government must fund a national independent programme of research into building materials and a government-run testing regime for materials, he added.

UK ban on certain combustible materials criticised for not going far enough

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