Tower Block Testing
Further to our newsletter last week, please find attached a
letter that was sent to a number of bodies representing the private residential
sector following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in London. The letter offers
support to owners of private residential buildings in England to carry out
tests on cladding.
This is only relevant
to you as a landlord or property owner, if you own a property in a building
over 18m high which has, or appears to have cladding on the exterior. If you
do, queries should be directed to your block management company.
The government has confirmed it is offering:
•
In addition to the checks on residential blocks
owned by social landlords, DCLG are offering private owners of residential
buildings an opportunity to test cladding on blocks over 18 metres high through
arrangements put in place with the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
• These checks will be paid for by the Department
for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), and the information will be
available to DCLG from BRE.
• Where owners consider that they may have
concerns about cladding on buildings over 18 metres high, they should follow
the process in the letter attached.
Martin & Co
Basingstoke
Letter from
Melanie Dawes, Permanent Secretary of DCLG
Safety checks on private residential blocks
This letter is intended for owners, landlords and managers of private
residential blocks in England. Representative bodies for the private
residential sector have kindly agreed to disseminate this letter to their
members, and we are grateful for their assistance.
Following the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington last
week, we want to ensure you are aware of help that is available in checking
your buildings.
There has been much public concern and comment about potential flaws in
the cladding that was on Grenfell Tower. While the exact reasons for the speed
of the spread of fire have yet to be determined, we have concluded that there
are additional tests that can be undertaken with regard to the cladding. We
have asked local authorities and social housing providers to identify whether
any panels used in new build or refurbishment of their own housing stock are a
particular type of cladding made of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). These
checks will be relevant to privately owned and managed residential buildings
too, so please can you consider carrying out these checks on your buildings.
More details on how to identify this cladding are in Annex A attached.
It is important to stress that ACM cladding is not of itself dangerous, but
it is important that the right type is used. If you identify that cladding on
any of your buildings is made of ACM, then a sample can be tested. This testing
facility is also being made available to blocks that are privately owned, and
your local authority may already have been in touch to make you aware of this.
The procedures for taking up this offer of testing, which will be paid for by
DCLG, are set out in the annex. We are prioritising buildings over six storeys
or 18 metres high. The offer is for the initial testing only and the cost of
any remedial action will be the responsibility of the owner of the building.
The information from the checks will be available to DCLG from BRE. Please
contact us at PRShousingchecks@communities.gsi.gov.uk
if you have any queries.
Where the entire block is not owned and managed by the same party,
please ensure that only one sample is provided and that any necessary
permissions are obtained for taking and sending off the sample. We would not
expect individual leaseholders within a building to send off samples for
testing.
As well as this work, it is of course important that owners / landlords
have robust fire assessments for their properties.
Thank you for your cooperation in this important work.
Melanie Dawes
Annex A – Protocol
for Sampling of Aluminium Composite Material Cladding
Identification of
Aluminium Composite Material Cladding
Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) is a type of flat panel that consists
of two thin aluminium sheets bonded to a non-aluminium core, typically between
3 and 7mm thick. The panels can have a painted or metallic finish (e.g. copper
or zinc effects). It can be differentiated from solid aluminium sheet by
looking at a cut edge whereby the lamination is visible. It may be necessary to
cut a hole in a panel if a cut edge is not readily accessible.
On buildings with a floor over 18m above ground level, where ACM panels
are identified, it is necessary to establish whether the panels are of a type
that complies with the Building Regulations guidance i.e. the core material
should be a material of limited combustibility or Class A2. (Material of
Limited combustibility as described in Table A7 of Approved Document B (Vol 2)
Class A2-s3,d2 or better in accordance with BS EN 13501-1)
Testing of ACM
To allow for the identification of core materials, we are putting in
place Government-funded testing capacity that will allow a small sample of the
cladding to be tested and its type identified. If you wish to take up this
offer, then you will need to submit samples for testing.
Where the surveyor undertaking assessment of a composite panel
determines that it is necessary for cladding to be subjected to laboratory
screening they should follow this procedure:
1.
Cut out two samples of at least 250x250mm in size from each location
sampled. Take photographs as necessary to identify the location of the sample.
You should take samples from above and below 18m above ground level as
appropriate and check different multiple panels where you have concern that
material specification varies.
2.
Using an indelible ink pen, note the building name / number, postcode
and a unique identifier (i.e. name of building owner followed by unique sample
number e.g. ABC/001) traceable to the specific location within the building of
each sample. Add a direct dial telephone or mobile contact number to be used in
the event that there are any queries on the sample.
3.
You must make good by closing the hole using a non-combustible sheet
such as steel fixed with self-tapping screws or rivets.
4.
Complete the data return form attached to this letter and include a hard
copy of it with the sample. You should provide as much information as is
readily available, but not if this will delay submission of samples for
testing.
5.
Place one of the samples from each location in a padded envelope with a
copy of the data return form (attached below). Clearly mark the envelope URGENT
– CLADDING TEST SAMPLE.
6.
Send the test samples by recorded delivery or courier to:
BRE Bucknalls Lane Garston Watford Herts, WD25 9XX
7.
Retain the second sample from each location for your own records or for
testing in the event that samples are lost or misplaced in transit.
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