The Grenfell Tower tragedy raised concerns about a profound quality issue across the construction industry, both in terms of quality of workmanship, design, and quality of manufacture. The decision last week, by insulation and cladding manufacturer Kingspan, to withdraw fire testing of a longstanding product will understandably raise concerns for social housing providers. Kingspan's decision also emphasises that the full extent of fire safety issues is still not understood some three years after the Grenfell fire.

In the short term, social housing providers are advised to investigate whether the Kingspan Kooltherm K15 product is installed to any of their High-Risk Residential Properties and if so, to consider whether remedial action is necessary. 

Longer-term, there is also a question as to whether obligations on manufacturers to seek re-certification when products are changed, should be strengthened. This is a concern that has previously been raised in relation to the widespread failure of glass-reinforced plastic composite doors to meet the required 30-minute minimum fire resistance standard, identified following the Grenfell fire - an issue that many social housing providers are still addressing.