The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast

A safety certificate for insulation installed on Grenfell Tower contained a ‘very basic failure of due diligence’.

In 2008 the independent organisation, the British Board of Agrement produced a certificate for a combustible plastic foam insulation made by the company Kingspan. The product - Kooltherm K15 - was later installed on Grenfell Tower.

The inquiry heard from staff at the BBA involved in certifying Kooltherm K15. The certificate stated that the product achieved a British fire standard without the BBA ever requesting any fire tests proving the product had actually achieved this.

BBA staff were also questioned about how they issued certificates for the combustible cladding panels used on Grenfell Tower. One employee accepted the organisation had published a certificate that was ‘materially wrong’.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

“What will happen if only one building made out [of] PE core is on fire and will kill 60 to 70 persons”. Arconic, the company which made the combustible cladding installed on Grenfell Tower was warned of the risk of a building fire that could kill “60 to 70” people, a decade before the tragedy. Three of Arconic’s witnesses have refused to give evidence at the inquiry. Lead Counsel to the inquiry Richard Millett presented some of the documents and questions he would have covered had they attended.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

A manager at the BRE accepted he made a fundamental omission when analysing test data. Tony Baker told the inquiry he failed to notice non-combustible magnesium oxide boards used in a test by the insulation manufacturer Celotex.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

A manager at the BRE denied deliberately concealing test evidence. Phil Clark managed the burn hall where fire safety tests were carried out. He told the inquiry he failed to notice that a test rig for an insulation product used on Grenfell Tower had been altered to increase its chances of passing. Non-combustible magnesium oxide boards had been added to the test but were not mentioned in the BRE’s test report.

Claude Schmidt, the President of Arconic Architectural Products, continued his evidence and accepted the use of the cladding panels installed on Grenfell Tower was an ‘accident waiting to happen’.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

The cladding manufacturer admitted it had been ‘deliberately and dishonestly misleading’. Claude Schmidt, the President of Arconic Architectural Products, answered questions about the testing, classification and performance of the cladding panels used on Grenfell Tower – which the inquiry has established was the main cause of the spread of the 2017 fire.

The cladding panels came in two different shapes - either cassette or rivet - each shape performing differently when exposed to fire. The inquiry heard that when the cassette panels ‘disastrously’ failed a fire test, the test results were not shared with certification bodies or customers. The cassette shaped cladding panels were used on Grenfell Tower. Claude Schmidt accepted that this was misleading, but denied deliberately withholding information and risking life safety. The inquiry also heard that Claude Wehrle, head of the technical sales support team, told his colleagues that the failed fire safety test should be kept ‘very confidential’.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

The inquiry returned this week with evidence from the cladding manufacturer, Arconic. UK Sales Managers Deborah French admitted she had not read building regulation guidance on cladding installed on buildings over 18 metres. She also said that for reasons of cost Arconic continued to sell cladding panels with a combustible core after a number of high profile fires.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

The inquiry pauses for a few weeks because of the pandemic

The inquiry heard how technical staff from the insulation manufacturer Kingspan joked that claims about the fire performance of its insulation product – Kooltherm K15 - were “all lies” and the product should be scrapped.

Kingspan also hired a PR consultancy firm to help it lobby MPs who were deciding the future of building regulations just six weeks after the fire at Grenfell Tower. Emails also showed that to help justify the sale of Kingspan’s combustible insulation on buildings over 18 metres in height, Kingspan carried out a test with a non-combustible insulation deliberately designing it to perform poorly.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

The inquiry heard more evidence from insulation manufacturers Kingspan. Three of the company’s managers were questioned about their involvement in the testing and marketing of the company’s combustible insulation.

The company’s Technical Manager said a contractor who had concerns about the use of Kingspan’s insulation had confused him “with someone who gives a damn”.

The inquiry also revealed that an official in the Department for Communities and Local Government knew about the risks of using combustible insulation on high rises as early as 2014 – three years before the fire at Grenfell Tower.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble

Former staff from Kingspan, the manufacturer of an insulation product used on Grenfell Tower gave evidence this week.

Technical Project Lead Ivor Meredith, admitted he was involved in a deliberate calculated deceit carried out by the company – aimed at achieving the best possible sales for its insulation products.

Only a month ago Kingspan withdrew three large scale fire test reports after accepting the product tested did not represent what they were selling.

Presenter / Producer: Kate Lamble