HSE prepares wave of cladding replacement inspections

摘要

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will undertake a wave of inspections of high-rise residential buildings over 18m in height where remediation of dangerous aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding is taking place. Inspectors will look at the way work is being carried out, specifically as far as issues of fire safety and working at height are concerned, rather than its compliance with Building Regulations. However, in an unusual move, they will also be asking about whether the materials used to replace the ACM cladding are class Al or A2 under the European Reaction to Fire classification system and reporting their findings back to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Ray Cooke, head of the HSE's construction sector safety team, stressed that an inspection by HSE did not necessarily mean the building was considered "high risk", as some of those identified by MHCLG have less than 1% ACM cladding. Meanwhile MHCLG figures at the end of 2018 showed that more than a quarter (41) of 160 public sector high-rise buildings with ACM cladding still hadn't started remediation work. Of the 272 privately owned buildings clad with the material, 69 have no replacement plans.