Cladding Chief Welcomes New Powers to Remove Dangerous Building Materials

PETER JOHNSON, chairman of cladding manufacturer Vivalda Group, has welcomed additional powers granted to the safety body charged with maintaining cladding standards in the wake of Grenfell Tower.

It was confirmed this month that a new national regulator for construction products will operate with powers to withdraw products off the market. Granted an additional £10m of funding, this will give the new watchdog more responsibility to conduct its own independent product-testing when investigating cases of suspected malpractice.

New Regulatory Powers

Cladding firms must now ensure that their products are safe before being sold – which includes testing cladding and associated products such as insulation against new, tougher safety standards.

Reacting to the latest announcement from Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, Peter Johnson, said: “This is definitely a step in the right direction for the cladding industry. Damning evidence heard from the Grenfell Inquiry is liable to cast a long shadow of suspicion across the entire construction sector and so any additional quality assurances must be fully supported. Without independent and transparent testing and quality checks, nobody wins.

“Indeed, my own company has lost several competitive contract pitches over the years to products where the fire test performance of a cheaper material is highly questionable owing to gaps in the certification. I would like to believe that such fast and loose practice is now a thing of the past. Certainly, this measure goes some way to stamping it out for good, thus providing what the industry and wider society demands – proven safety.”

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