Most white goods (washing machines, ovens, etc) still have steel backs here. They're often open to the floor at the bottom though, so not sure if a fire would be reliably contained, specially if it was stood on flammable floor surface. We'd have to check the product standards to see if there's been any recent change on that score.

There is of course a difference between non-metallic and combustible. Traditional UK surface mounted accessories are thermosetting plastic (UF) and seem to contain electrical fires pretty  well, whereas steel can conduct heat to adjacent flammable surfaces.

Plus of course, the UK approach to fire didn't rely on individual appliances (won't stop a chip-pan fire) - but on fire barriers between each flat. The cladding (and windows) were the primary failures that resulted in such a large scale disaster.

   - Andy.

Andy:-I assume you didn't listen to any of the early Glenfell Tower Fire inquiry meetings where the fire path to the outside cladding was identified.

One expert noted that he believed the actual ignition point was bad crimping of some cables connecting to the PC board. However the starting cap was nowhere to be seen.

Can I take your answer to my question as "no white goods can now be sold in the UK if they have a combustible back"? 

Roll on to September 4th 2024 when the final inquiry report will be issued and the criminal investigations can begin.

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

Can I take your answer to my question as "no white goods can now be sold in the UK if they have a combustible back"? 

That's not what I said - I don't know exactly what the current situation is. After the debacle of plastic CUs here in the UK, and the wording of standards, it's probably not a simple question to answer. There seem to be many classifications of combustible, non-fire propagating, flame retarding, passing glow-wire tests, etc etc to actually flammable. Making things entirely fire-proof is quite a challenge, that even steel isn't likely to meet in some circumstances.

   - Andy.

Peter Brooks said:

Roll on to September 4th 2024 when the final inquiry report will be issued and the criminal investigations can begin.

From previous incidents, a company or organisation will be found guilty of health & safety violations, and fined a few thousand pounds.  No individuals will successfully be prosecuted for anything, as they can all pass enough blame onto someone else.

Peter Brooks said:

The fire apparently started in the electronics unit,

I was under the impression the 'balance of probabilities' consideration by the expert witness, was that the seat of the fire was arcing that fused two mains-powered conductors - although their insulation (being 'tri-rated' cable type or similar) had previously probably been damaged by overheating of a component related to the compressor motor (relay I seem to remember)?

... the fire then spreading to the backing, rest of the kitchen (and flat), then exiting out of the kitchen window ...

Peter Brooks said:

Is combustible backing on white goods still allowed to be sold in the UK? 

Even if standards change, it takes time for existing products to be sold ...

It's worth reinforcing at this point, that if the fire were contained to the flat, we wouldn't be having such discussions. The real issue with Grenfell is that the fire was not contained as the designers thought. That is perhaps the real issue, not the fridge-freezer.

AJJewsbury said:

ost white goods (washing machines, ovens, etc) still have steel backs here.

True, BUT washing machines and tumble dryers on sale in the UK have plastic or wooden or composite material tops ... although I understand flammability tests are included in the standards. The backs on are actually much less likely than the tops on these kinds of appliances to be able to propagate fire like with a fridge-freezer, because there's a lot of wiring near the top in the UK under-counter machines, PLUS effect of  the heat and flame rising in those appliances is not impeded before reaching the top, as it would be in a fridge-freezer.

HOWEVER, if metal tops are used on under-counter washing machines and tumble-dryers, this might not stop heat-damage or potentially fire in wooden kitchen units, unless non-combustible thermal insulation were also used ... so perhaps composite tops with appropriate fire resistance tests are more appropriate for those appliances??

Hello Simon:

In the the initial stages of the inquiry a name came up about who approved use of the cladding material.

The person was identified as Sir Ken Knight who signed a certificate for the Grenfell Style cladding  in 2014..

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay