Kingspan awaits Grenfell Inquiry conclusions

The building products company has already apologised for "process and conduct shortcomings" identified during the inquiry.

However, it says evidence to the inquiry showed none of its shortcomings caused the failures that led to the fire.

Seventy-two people died as a result of the blaze which swept through the west London tower block in June 2017.

The main reason for the disaster was the tower's cladding, which did not comply with building regulations and allowed the fire to spread rapidly.

A small amount of a Kingspan insulation product, Kooltherm K15, was used on the building.

It was used without Kingspan’s knowledge and the company played no role in designing or installing the cladding system.

However, the inquiry heard evidence critical of some of its business practices.

Lead counsel to the inquiry, Richard Millett KC, accused Kingspan of "malpractice" in the development, testing and promotion of KI5 which included "misleading the market" about its appropriate use on tall buildings.

In particular, the firm's testing of its K15 insulation in 2005 to 2007 raised questions about the company's approach to safety regulations.

What the inquiry heard:

• That Kingspan carried out its first large-scale fire test on K15 in 2005, which passed, but included the use of non-weatherproofed cement fibre cladding panels, which critics said could not be used on a real high-rise building
• Kingspan continued to use these test results to sell the material as appropriate for high-rise buildings, despite changing how K15 was produced and conducting a subsequent fire test on the product, which resulted in a "raging inferno". The test's result was described as shocking by the firm's ex-technical director Ivor Meredith
• The firm's technical manager, Philip Heath, sent an email to friends regarding a contractor's concerns over the material's use on high-rise buildings, saying he was being confused "for someone who gives a dam" and that he was "trying to think of a way out of this one, imagine a fire running up this tower! Any ideas?" Mr Heath told the inquiry he was in a dark place because of a friend's terminal illness
• In 2007, the firm carried out fire tests only on the foil covering K15, using its interpretation of the testing guidance to claim the entire product had achieved a "Class 0" industry-best safety standard. The inquiry heard evidence of two company employees joking that it was "all lies mate" and "all we do is lie here"

'Tragedy that should never have happened'

In its closing statement to the inquiry in September 2021, the company said: "Grenfell Tower fire was a tragedy that should never have happened, and Kingspan supports the vitally important work of the Inquiry to determine what went wrong and why.

"Kingspan has identified and apologised for process and conduct shortcomings in its UK insulation business.

The company said it has "absolute confidence" in the safety of K15 when it is installed correctly.

Kingspan is headquartered in County Cavan and employs around 23,000 people across its global operations.

The company is valued at around €15bn and its founder Eugene Murtagh remains the single largest shareholder.

-BBC