Since the Grenfell disaster, cladding removal has been monitored and regulated much more thoroughly. However, there are still numerous risks involved in removing cladding from residential and commercial buildings.
The Grenfell disaster has brought much more thorough procedures and protocols regarding the types of cladding that can be used, much more stringent use of materials in the higher brackets of the ranking system of cladding and how cladding should be safely removed. Cladding also has features aimed at preventing a fire from taking hold. However, this does not eliminate the fire risk that removing cladding from a building poses.
Although many systematic failures contributed to the Grenfell disaster, like using wrongly-rated cladding in the building, removing cladding is still a hazardous process that needs to be appropriately managed. This must be done to ensure the safety of workers and residents of the building.
Many factors still contribute to the removal of cladding that makes it a risky and dangerous process, such as location, type of building, and the amount of cladding to be removed. In this article, we will take a thorough look at the risks involved with cladding removal and how we can manage this process to make it a much safer and more straightforward process.
- What is Cladding Remediation?
- The Importance of Removing Cladding Correctly
- Legislation to Consider When Removing Cladding
- Risks When Removing Cladding
- Managing the Risks Involved with Cladding Removal
- For Safe Cladding Removal Tools, Shop 4 Cladding Services
What is Cladding Remediation?
Cladding remediation is the process of removing and replacing unsafe or combustible exterior cladding systems on buildings, particularly in high-rise structures. Following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the dangers of certain cladding materials were highlighted, leading to changes in policies and regulations.
The process of cladding remediation typically involves the following:
- Assessing the existing cladding and insulation
- Removing combustible materials
- Installing fire-resistant insulation
- Applying new, compliant cladding materials
- Ensuring proper installation of fire breaks and cavity barriers
The Importance of Removing Cladding Correctly
Removing cladding correctly is crucial to ensuring the safety of all workers and occupants, as it may contain hazardous substances and must be disposed of properly. It is imperative cladding is removed properly to:
- Ensure Cladding Safety: Improper removal of cladding can create fire risks or structural vulnerabilities.
- Prevent Contamination: Some cladding materials may contain hazardous substances that require careful handling.
- Protect Building Integrity: Incorrect cladding removal can damage the underlying structure of a building or compromise weatherproofing.
- Comply with Regulations: Following proper cladding removal procedures ensures compliance with local regulations and building codes.
- Shield Occupants: Properly removing cladding can minimise the disruption and risks to the building’s occupants.
- Safeguard the Environment: Correct removal allows for proper disposal and recycling of materials, protecting the environment from hazardous substances.
- Prepare for New Cladding: Proper cladding removal creates a clean and suitable surface for installing new and safer cladding systems.
- Preserve Evidence: Proper cladding removal is needed to preserve important evidence in cases of legal or insurance claims.
Legislation to Consider When Removing Cladding
The Building Safety Act (BSA) 2022 is a significant piece of legislation involving cladding safety as it states what is expected of safety in high-rise buildings. Owners of buildings over 18 metres tall or with at least seven floors will be required to register their properties with a Building Safety Regulator (BSR) by October 2024. It is an offence to register any later.
Building control professionals must also be certified by April 2024 to continue working in England. Developers of residential buildings over 11 metres tall, developed or refurbished in the last 30 years, must sign a remediation contract.
The main takeaway from this legislation is who pays for cladding remediation. Qualifying leaseholders are protected from costs related to unsafe cladding remediation. To qualify, you must be situated in a residential building over 11 metres or five storeys tall and have a lease already in existence as of 14 February 2022.
Government funding is available for councils and housing associations for buildings over 18 metres tall, with or without Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.
What are the Responsibilities of Building Owners?
Building owners are responsible for registering their properties and paying for the costs of remediating all safety defects. This includes cladding systems, unsafe fire doors, and any issues with the building’s foundation. For more information about a building owner’s responsibilities and what criteria determine whether or not they have to pay for the costs of remediation, take a look at the Government website.
Other Legislation to Consider During Cladding Removal
Here are some examples of more specific legislation regarding the process of cladding removal itself:
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: This is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2022 (COSHH): This is relevant if the cladding contains hazardous materials, putting cladding safety first.
- Work at Height Regulations 2005: These regulations apply to all work at a height where there is a risk of falling.
- Environmental Protection Act 1990: This legislation is important for the waste management and disposal of the removed cladding.
- Fire Safety Order 2005: This covers general fire safety in and around all buildings.
Risks When Removing Cladding
With some types of materials in the cladding ranking system being so highly combustible, it is crucial to take care during the removal process. If a fire breaks out and reaches the cladding, it has the potential to catch fire and spread through the building, despite cladding having preventative features designed to stop it from catching fire. Many different composites and materials used to make up cladding are highly combustible and, as such, need to be treated with the utmost care to ensure a safe removal process.
With the risk of fire breaking out while exposing and removing cladding, there must be procedures in place for safe removal. Managing risks when removing cladding from buildings can be challenging because it is a dangerous material to deal with. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that risks are appropriately handled.
As there is no legal requirement to remove ACM (aluminium composite material) cladding from buildings under an 18-metre height limit, a human element also comes into play. Working at height with highly combustible material adds extra risk, eliminating a significant amount of time to evacuate a building should a fire begin to take hold.
Ignition of cladding can potentially take place due to something as small as a hot spark landing on combustible material. In the construction industry, this is a factor that always comes into play when working with cladding. With the ignition of cladding occurring easily, risks must be managed properly to ensure the safety and efficiency of the removal job.
Managing the Risks Involved with Cladding Removal
Cladding is a potentially dangerous material that, in the right circumstances, can be a serious fire risk. This makes managing the fire risks associated with cladding all the more essential. To protect workers, occupiers of the building and the general public, let’s explore how to manage any fire risks that come with removing cladding and how they can make the process safer.
Sources of ignition
When dealing with a highly combustible material like cladding composites, ignition sources should be eliminated from the site as much as possible. This is not restricted to work equipment and extends to establishing non-smoking sites when cladding is removed. Designated smoking areas for workers are established in these jobs.
Only hand-powered or electrical tools should be used on-site during these jobs. This is because they pose a lower risk than other tools as a potential ignition source for materials like cladding with such a combustible nature. As well as this, no flammable solvents should be used when removing any adhesives that have been used to attach cladding to the building structure.
Use the right lighting
Using heated lighting next to highly combustible material could pose a safety risk if left in this state for a prolonged period of time. When looking at which lighting to use, choose LED lighting wherever possible. LED lights have a low surface temperature and are strongly preferred for this kind of job as they largely remove any ignition risk through lighting heat.
Suppose a heat-emitting light is damaged and placed onto a scaffolding board. This could become an ignition risk and should be avoided completely when working around exposed cladding. Avoiding all heated lighting when cladding is involved is heavily advised when looking to manage risk levels.
Don’t use hot equipment
Hot works like cutting torches and angle grinders should be avoided in any possible situation when working around cladding. Any use of this equipment should be carefully planned and controlled to ensure that any fire risk is minimal. A risk assessment should be carried out to identify this equipment’s risk and determine whether it is necessary.
When working with hot equipment, it is also important to put a fire watch in place immediately after work is completed with this equipment. A fire watch will keep the area under constant review for approximately 1 hour to ensure the heat does not cause a delayed fire breakout, especially in a dry working environment. A fire watch should be put in place every time work with this equipment has been carried out to ensure workers are always on hand to tackle any emerging fires. Despite cladding being a combustible material and having preventative features designed to not catch fire, some materials used are flammable and have the potential to catch fire quickly if cladding is exposed.
This process keeps the area under surveillance and increases efficiency on the job as the area is constantly kept under timed conditions.
Early fire detection
Suppose a fire does break out and reaches any cladding or insulation is removed. In that case, it has the potential to seriously affect both workers and occupiers of the building. If a fire does break out in this case, there needs to be a clear fire detection alarm system that will quickly alert both the workers and residents of the building and give them enough time to evacuate the area.
It is important that any fire detection system is not limited to where the fire is located but notifies the full building. Fire can spread extremely quickly through the cladding and rapidly engulf a building. Everyone in the building needs to be notified immediately to ensure their safety should the fire take hold of the rest of the cladding before it can be extinguished.
Ensure the work area alarm system and the building’s alarm system are interconnected to assure that everyone is alerted to any potential fire breaking out as soon as possible.
For Safe Cladding Removal Tools, Shop 4 Cladding Services
Removing cladding can be a difficult job that requires the right equipment. If you have any questions about how we can help you with anything cladding, get in touch with us today! Our fantastic team of experts are more than happy to answer your questions and show you our great range of equipment that will make your cladding jobs easier and safer.
FAQs
How much does cladding cost to remove?
If you are a qualifying leaseholder, you will be protected from costs related to unsafe cladding remediation. This means you will not have to pay for cladding removal, given that you meet certain criteria. This includes being situated in a residential building over 11 metres or five storeys tall and having a lease already in place as of 14 February 2022. Check out the Government website for more information about who pays for cladding removal.
What is the law on cladding?
Since the Grenfell fire, regulations have been implemented to remove unsafe cladding from buildings. Unsafe cladding is a fire risk, meaning it is the building owner’s obligation to remove it as a safety defect. As per the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA), qualifying leaseholders will not need to pay for cladding removal.
What type of cladding is unsafe?
Unsafe cladding is defined as any cladding that is a fire risk. Some examples include Aluminium Composite Material (ACM), High Pressure Laminate (HPL) and Metal Composite Materials (MCM). ACM is the type of cladding that was present at the Grenfell Tower fire. You may have also heard of HPL as it was found in the student accommodation block that caught on fire at the University of Bolton.
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