Peter Brooks said:

I saw last week that the UKCA mark has been killed

Not quite (at least as far as I'm aware), the change is that the CE Mark can still be used in the UK - so manufacturers can use either (or both!) 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-ukca-marking#rules-for-using-the-ukca-image

Not that I can imagine many manufacturers bothering to use the UKCA mark, I certainly wouldn't advise any to now as it adds no value, but the intention is that it could be used for any future UK specific standards

Hi Simon

When I say interesting I mean from the point of view as an engineer and what improvements will happen across a lot of industries.  Unfortunately society and industries only learn/implement more stringent rules/create legislation from horrific loss of life like Piper Alpha.  That being said my heart and mind is with the families affected by the Grenfell tragedy

I am not sure what people don't understand about Grenfell.  It was a building made out of rocks/brick/cement.  Those materials do not burn or catch fire.  Then people decided to wrap it in a highly flammable petro-chemical based material and a fire broke out somewhere and spread rapidly.  Lot of people died in this awful incident/Tragady

The people that decided that material was ok to use are to blame.  They need a custodial sentence

The people selling/distributing the material as Fire Safe.  They need a custodial sentence

The people that decided that material was ok to use are to blame.  They need a custodial sentence

The people selling/distributing the material as Fire Safe.  They need a custodial sentence

And I agree anyone who has O level chemistry or indeed just set fire to a polyethylene bag should have realized the scope for a fire problem.

Actually  there is a similar issue when you replace 'crittal' steel framed windows with uPVC the glass falls out when hot in a way that neither metal nor wooden frame used to- but homes up and down the land are happy with that, as the risk of fire in a normal house is low. It is not clear that the same sort of windows are such a good idea when panes of glass fall from many stories up.

The grasp of basic chemistry among the general public, including those employed by councils and cladding companies, it appears is pretty minimal and folk do not see it as a serious inadequacy not to understand the world about them, encouraged perhaps  by popular quiz shows when 'science' questions are seen as harder than 'football' ones.

Mike.

Hello Mike:

Your comments about using uPVC  windows frames and the surrounding packing (for leak sealing) was also a spot on.

Here in Florida new replacement windows must only meet hurricane wind requirement (180 mph) and metal frames have nearly disappeared with the use of cheaper uPVC.

The TV adverts show the new replacement uPVC frame windows being hit with a baseball bat, without any visible damage. 

Peter Brooks

Palm Bay 

Gel Jones said:

Strange comment on need for Fire Safety College; been established at Moreton in The March since 1966;

The idea is that the remit of the new college would be somewhat wider, although the original suggestion (2022) was that this recommended College of Fire and Rescue could be based at the Fire Service College.

Our reform plans set out our ambition for an independent College of Fire and Rescue focussed on the following five areas:
• Research
• Data
• Leadership,
• Ethics
• Clear expectations for fire and rescue services
Subject to the response to the consultation, this College of Fire and Rescue could be located at an existing body such as a training provider, fire and rescue service or other professional body. This could include the Fire Service College (FSC) at potentially no cost, for example, given its historic links to government. The FSC is one of a number of training providers, all with a similar market share, available to fire and rescue services. We would like to hear from potential hosts to understand where the proposed college could be located given the potential benefit to both the host and the college of co-location. The proposed college should take on the functions carried out currently by the Fire Standards Board, which sets out clear expectations for the sector. Development opportunities for staff should include support for progression to leadership roles and development schemes to identify and nurture talent.

"Reforming Our Fire and Rescue Service"

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/627d6b378fa8f53f93a4ae65/DRAFT_WP_consultation_HO_template_110522.pdf

I'm not an expert in this field, but my reading of this is that the existing Fire Service College focusses on day-to-day practicalities, but what's missing is somewhere where people are standing back and looking at the bigger issues. 

Note this wasn't a recommendation of the Grenfell enquiry, it was an endorsement by them of an earlier government proposal. (Although of course that proposal was made largely due to Grenfell.)