Landlords will be told by the end of April whether they need to take action over fire doors after a problem was identified with one installed in the Grenfell Tower in London which caught fire causing 72 deaths.
Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid said that the issue is with front doors from a batch manufactures in 2013 by a company that is no longer trading and further investigations are now underway.
Initial inspections indicate the door is believed to have been designed to resist fire for up to 30 minutes as required by building regulations guidance but when tested by the Metropolitan Police it failed after approximately 15 minutes.
Independent experts have advised that the risks to public safety remain low, and that evidence from investigations to date does not change this assessment so landlords are not being advised to take any action at present.
To properly understand what has happened, the Government has consulted its Independent Expert Panel, sought technical expertise from the National Fire Chiefs Council, conducted additional testing and visual inspections of fire doors from the same batch of doors installed at Grenfell and a sample of other doors and commissioned additional testing as part of its investigation.
‘While there is no evidence at this stage to suggest this is a widespread problem, the government is clear that this issue needs to be properly investigated. Public safety is paramount. Government has consulted a range of independent experts and they have advised that the risks to public safety remain low. I have made it clear that the necessary tests and assessments must be carried out thoroughly,’ said Javid.
Further investigations will involve subjecting additional fire doors from the same batch and others to BS476-22 fire resistance tests, a methodical deconstruction and comprehensive visual inspection of a series of doors, analysis of materials used in the manufacture of this batch of fire doors and an investigation of the manufacturer’s supply records.
Roy Wilsher, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, confirmed that risks to public safety are very low. ‘The evidence does not suggest that this has changed. We are confident the Government is taking the right steps to provide additional reassurance, through rigorous testing and seeking independent and technical expertise. Our advice has not changed. In the event of a fire, people should continue to follow existing fire procedures for their property,’ he said.
Professor Chris Whitty, interim Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said that the relevant departmental Chief Scientific Advisers have been consulted by the independent expert panel on building safety, officials, police and the National Fire Chiefs Council and have been briefed on findings to date.
‘We are confident that the right approach is being taken with regard to public safety. We also agree with the expert panel’s assessment and the National Fire Chiefs Council position that on the evidence to date, there are no grounds to change existing fire procedures. We have advised that further investigations be carried out and will consider whether further advice is required,’ he added.
