Would Fire-Resistant Panels Have Saved Lives in Grenfell?

Since the appalling and heart-breaking fire at Grenfell Towers in London, numerous reports and investigative journalism have pointed the finger of blame in various directions, attempting to learn important lessons from what has become a national tragedy.

One such enquiry has been made in relation to the choice of panels applied to the building during a refurbishment, with The Guardian reporting that non-flammable panels were suggested by a contractor, but were rejected by the council in an attempt to save money.

The contractor reportedly supplied a £3.3m quote to fit non-flammable, aluminium panels to the tower, but the quote was rejected by the Conservative council, who instead put the contract out to tender in order to cut the cost of the refurbishment. The cheaper quote from Rydon included combustible cladding, which contributed to the fire on June 14th, 2017.

But would the more expensive aluminium panels have resulted in a lower loss of life, had they been chosen? According to numerous fire safety experts, not only would the non-flammable cladding have saved lives, but it would actually have been cheaper that the plastic-filled panels and synthetic insulation which was eventually used.

Independent fire safety expert Stephen Mackenzie, speaking to The Guardian, had this to say about the potential use of non-flammable cladding:

“The would have been little or no fire spread … the lives lost at Grenfell may have been prevented.”

As a result of these continuing investigations into potential culpability, Scotland Yard have confirmed they are now investigating potential charges related to manslaughter and/or corporate manslaughter. Similarly, the public enquiry confirmed by Downing Street in May could well lead to criminal and civil charges, as well as ensuring other councils learn the lessons from the Grenfell incident. At least 300 other tall buildings in England are clad in similar materials to Grenfell Tower, with all of them failing fire safety tests earlier this year. Ironically, the system originally quoted for the Grenfell refurbishment is now being used on many of these other tall buildings.