Posts Tagged ‘insulated panels’

Partly due to recent fires of insulated buildings in the UK, structures constructed with insulated sandwich panels could be in need of an inspection, and if the panels are deemed unsafe, they will need to be retrofitted. Authorities estimate that over 10,000 public buildings, schools, and hospitals could be in need of an inspection. Current building codes allow for potentially combustible core materials to be used.

This could possibly become the largest building safety inspection in the UK since asbestos checks in the ’80s.

Contractjournal

A deadly fire recently erupted at a cold storage facility in New Zealand. One fire fighter was killed and 7 others we injured. Fire crews were battling a massive blaze in a dairy storage building, when a immense explosion erupted.

Firefighters believe part of the difficulty in battling this blaze was the the sandwich panel construction. The metal and foam core panels provided a couple hindrances. First, there were no windows or extra doors in the building. This prevented easy access and ventilation to the fires origin. Secondly, the burning foam created thick black smoke which made progress difficult. Lastly, the melting foam core began to lose structure creating unsafe conditions.

Investigators are continuing to look into the fire. For more information please visit:
New Zealand Herald
Timaru Herald