Kingspan is accused of knowingly distorting the market for the insulation installed within the facade of the Grenfell Tower located in London, according to a recent report. The company apparently falsely claimed that the insulation had passed tests qualifying it for high-rise buildings taller than 18 meters, which included Grenfell Tower where a tragic fire in 2017 took the lives of 72 people.
The delayed report, comprising of 1,700 pages, was penned by inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick, pointing out failures on multiple fronts including government, suppliers of building materials, contractors, local council officials and fire safety experts which led to the disastrous fire about seven years ago.
During a renovation of the London tower done in 2016, the Kooktherm K15 insulation board manufactured by Kingspan was used for almost 5 per cent of the external cladding’s plastic foam insulation layer of the block, unbeknown to the company. When there were hitches related to the supply of insulation boards from UK competitor Celotex, the Kingspan product was selected as a substitute by those who were executing the refurbishment.
These insulation boards were installed behind the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding panels that had a plastic (polyethylene) core. This was employed to create the outer layer of the facade system on the tower, viewing it purely from the aspect of materials used, a unit of US metals behemoth Arconic was the one who made these ACM panels.
The narrative of the inquiry included that in 2005, the K15 had proved successful in a fire safety trial when it was used behind non-flammable cladding, insinuating that its usage in tall buildings should have been confined to exact system configurations that had been vetted through fire testing. However, it was being marketed for generic use in high-rise buildings, even though the plastic within the Arconic panels was indeed flammable.
Troubling past email correspondences dating back to 2009 show Kingspan UK employees scoffing at the fact that the fire safety examinations on K15 were defective. The conclusive report indicated that Kingspan and Celotex had both misinformed players in the construction industry, alleging that their K15 and RS5000 insulation boards respectively, could be utilised in tall buildings.
The report further said, “Kingspan was fully aware that K15 was inherently unsuitable for usage in the external walls of buildings taller than 18 metres but was able to sell it as such for numerous years.”
The text asserted that Kingspan had withheld information from the UK authorities responsible for the authentication of construction materials, known as the British Board of Agrément (BBA). The firm allegedly sold K15 boards in 2008 under certification, despite these not being the same as the product involved in a fire safety examination three years prior. Shockingly, tests in 2007 and 2008 on constructions including the current K15 board were disastrous, with Kingspan continuing to market the product amidst internal fears regarding its fire safety.
In addition, Kingspan was successful in gaining certification for the boards in 2009 from the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) in the UK, which was misleading about the K15’s safety and endorsed its use for high rise buildings. Kingspan then utilised this certification strategically for years to continue selling their product, using it to deflect attention away from the lack of supportive test results.
Headed by CEO Gene Murtagh since 2005, Kingspan have repeatedly emphasised that expert witnesses in the investigation, Professors Luke Bisby and José Torero, had confirmed that it was primarily the ACM cladding made by Arconic that was the main cause of the fire spread and not the insulation within the façade system.
On Wednesday, Kingspan responded to the report’s release with a brief 181-word statement, acknowledging its inexcusable historical shortcomings in a section of their UK insulation business. It asserted these failings were out of character and not the root cause of the tragedy. Kingspan expressed deep sympathy for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire on what was ‘another extremely difficult day’. The firm stated it had already undertaken significant efforts to address these issues, implementing a range of externally verified procedures to improve their conduct and standards for global compliance.
“We continue to be dedicated to maintaining our leadership in delivering secure and sustainable construction solutions, which includes persistent collaborations with government and sectors. What regulations govern inheritance tax in Ireland, and is there a possibility for amendments in the budget?”