Enforcing code key to preventing tragedies

Tight controls on towers, old and new, key to prevention

It is hardly surprising that the debate about fire safety has once again surfaced following the catastrophic loss of life in the recent Grenfell Tower tragedy in London.

Commentators who drew parallels with a number of recent fires in towers in the UAE - in which aluminum panels were found to have been a contributing factor to fires that broke out in Dubai – were reassured by legislation enforced at the start of the year fining companies found to be in violation of cladding regulations Dh50,000.

In fact, the head of Alucopanel, a world leader in aluminum panels, claimed this week that a disaster like that befell North Kensington "cannot happen in Dubai" thanks to the new guidelines since "there is no room for any developer to use non-fire resistant panels".

Still, if the London tragedy reinforces one point, it is the need to ensure such legislations remain continuously enforced and buildings with infrastructure that predates new codes need to be inspected. What happened in North Kensington was a direct result of cutting corners on infrastructure at the expense of safety.

Dubai, a fast-growing urban hub, experienced its fair share of substandard cladding-related fires over the past few years, including the Tamweel tower fire in 2012, the Address Hotel and Torch tower incidents in 2015 and another incident last year.

The code introduced in Dubai in 2012 aimed at halting the use of flammable aluminum composite panels was found to have not been fully implemented because of the high cost of system tests, as The National reported, leading contractors to opt for cheaper materials despite the legislation.

New countrywide fire and safety regulations included in the amended UAE Fire Safety and Life Protection Code, which came into force in January 2017, aim to minimise and eventually eradicate such incidents.

UAE cladding firms have since rushed to invest in upgrades to produce fire-resistant panels that are in conformity with the code and residents now routinely ask about cladding before moving into a new building. In short, building owners and developers can no longer forego such elements.

And yet there remain hundreds of towers and buildings built before the new legislation took effect and cladding on these towers must be replaced to ensure no tragedies occur. The new code imposes stringent requirements to replace cheaper types of cladding with non-flammable alternatives and ensure tests and maintenance works on these buildings are carried out periodically. Enforcement of the new code is key to prevention.