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. css-14iz86j-BoldText {Font size: bold;} A former manager of an insulation manufacturer whose product was used on the Grenfell Tower has apologized for dismissing fire safety concerns and threatening legal action in internal emails.
Philip Heath, who works for Kingspan, forwarded a client’s fire test request, saying he was « mistaking me for someone who’s damned ». .
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On Monday, the investigation learned that Mr. Heath used strong language in an internal email response.
Former employee Ivor Meredith, who was the company’s technical director, told the investigation last week that Kingspan fire tested its siding in 2005 but changed the wording the next year.
The first phase of the Grenfell investigation concluded that the cladding of the tower block in West London during its renovation fueled the June 2017 fire that killed 72 people.
Kingspan K15 insulation was used in the combustible cladding system that was mounted next to Celotex RS5000 on Grenfell Tower.
In e-mails from October 2008, an employee of the facade engineers Wintech Kingspan asked for clarity on the basis on which the Kooltherm K15 insulation was suitable for buildings with a height of more than 18 meters.
A Kingspan official said it was « difficult to write what » without « putting us in a legal position ». .
In an internal email, Mr Heath replied in strong language: « Wintech can fuck themselves and if they are not careful we will sue them. « .
Encouraging Mr. Heath to comment, Investigative Attorney Kate Grange QC said, « Can you explain why you wrote this, given that Wintech has given its clients very specific advice? »
He replied, « It was completely unprofessional and just thinking about it, I wouldn’t have said that. I think it was frustration that we went around in circles with them. «
He was asked if there was a « culture » reflected within Kingspan « in relation to responding to these types of inquiries ». .
Mr. Heath said, « I don’t think so. As in any organization, you have good times and difficult times.
« We were just going around in circles and on a Friday it came out a bit of frustration.
« I think we took life safety seriously. We provided Wintech with the data we had for the corresponding analysis. «
Mr Heath, now Kingspan Business Development Manager, also apologized after responding to a similar request by saying that the company making the request « mistook me for someone who gave a dam ». .
He added in the forwarded email, « I’m trying to find a way out of this. Imagine a fire running up that tower !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! «
When asked, Mr Heath said he had forwarded the email to a terminally ill friend and added: « I only apologize for the 2008 time-point of the content of this email.
« Keith was a dear friend of mine who was terminally ill at the time. I just emailed him to give him a snapshot of some of the work I’ve been working on.
« It had no reflection on how I was feeling, I was just trying to lighten its burden and lighten my burden. «
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Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Building Insulation, Kingspan Group, Fire Test, Product
World News – GB – Grenfell Tower: Ex-manager of the company apologizes for responding to security queries
Ref: https://www.bbc.co.uk