Chapter 40: The replacement of entrance doors

Chapter 40: The replacement of entrance doors

¶40.1 On the night of the fire, 13 of the entrance doors to the flats had been fitted when the tower was built, 104 had had been installed by Manse Masterdor Limited between 2011 and 2012 as part of a comprehensive replacement programme implemented by the TMO, three had been replaced since 2014, either by the leaseholder or by the TMO, and nine had been fitted to new flats on the lower floors of the building. The doors installed by Manse Masterdor were Suredor GPR fire doors.

¶40.2 Fire risk assessments of high-risk properties carried out in 2009 and 2010 had drawn the TMO's attention to the need to introduce regular inspections of entrance doors to flats to ensure that they complied with regulatory requirements. They had also drawn attention to the fact that many doors did not meet current standards and needed to be modernised or replaced. A survey of fire safety features of entrance doors conducted by Rand Associates across the whole of the TMO's housing stock completed in October 2010⁹²⁸⁹²⁸ {TMO00866665}; Wray {TMO00847305/1-2} pages 1-2, paragraphs 5 and 7. found that a significant proportion of entrance doors did not have fire safety features and in particular did not have the necessary 30 minute fire resistance.⁹²⁹⁹²⁹ {TMO00847327}. They could not, therefore, be modernised.⁹³⁰⁹³⁰ KCTMO Health and Safety Annual Report 2010-2011 {TMO00854890/7} paragraph 8.1.9. The TMO therefore embarked on a programme of replacing entrance doors to flats in many of its buildings. Funding for the replacement programme was agreed with RBKC and various properties were selected for inclusion in it, including all tenanted properties at Grenfell Tower.

¶40.3 Abigail Acosta was project manager for the replacement programme until her departure from the TMO early in 2012.⁹³¹⁹³¹ Wray {TMO00000890/3} page 3, paragraph 13; Acosta {TMO00862539/1} page 1, paragraph 1. In the initial phase of the programme, Simon Throp, the TMO's assistant director of the Assets Investment and Engineering team, was also involved.

¶40.4 The TMO procured replacement doors through the London Housing Consortium,⁹³²⁹³² Wray {TMO00847305/2-3} pages 2-3, paragraph 9. a social housing procurement company with a framework agreement for external doorsets.⁹³³⁹³³ External Doorsets Specifiers' Guide {LHC00000006/1}. Following a competition, Manse Masterdor's tender was accepted by the TMO's Operations Committee on 22 February 2011.⁹³⁴⁹³⁴ Minutes of the Operations Committee meeting on 22 February 2011 {TMO00866724/2} item 3.

¶40.5 A pilot door was fitted by Manse Masterdor at Flat 16, Grenfell Tower on 11 May 2011 and the rest of the work appears to have started soon after. The final doors were installed by February 2012 or thereabouts.

Regulatory requirements

¶40.6 The standard of performance required of a door in a compartment wall separating a flat from a space in common use, such as the entrance doors to the flats in Grenfell Tower, was set out in Appendix B to Approved Document B. It called for 30 minutes' integrity when tested in accordance with BS 476-22 and an ability to meet the requirements of BS 476‑31.1 or BS EN 1634:2004 for cold smoke leakage. It also had to meet those standards when exposed to fire on each side of the door separately as part of the complete assembly of the doorset.⁹³⁵⁹³⁵ Dr Lane Phase 1 Report – Appendix I – Flat Entrance and Stair Fire Doors – requirements and provisions {BLAR00000024/30-31} sections I4.3.39 – I4.3.46 and {BLAR00000024/53} section I4.7.4. If it met those requirements, it was denoted FD30S.

¶40.7 The Inquiry has seen two fire resistance test certificates for Suredor GPR fire doors, both of which confirm 30 minutes' integrity when tested in accordance with BS 476-22.⁹³⁶⁹³⁶ Building Test Centre Report on fire resistance test on single leaf composite door BS 476 {MAS00000001}; Chiltern International Fire test report {MAS00000002}. However, it appears that no fire resistance tests were carried out⁹³⁷⁹³⁷ Duncan {MAS00000356/2-4} pages 2-4, paragraphs 8, 9, 11, 14 and 15; Duncan {MET00040071/2}. in accordance with the standard because the test certificates show that the doorset was tested on one side only and not, as required, on both sides.⁹³⁸⁹³⁸ Building Test Centre Report on fire resistance test on single leaf composite door BS 476 {MAS00000001}; Chiltern International Fire test report {MAS00000002}. There is no evidence that the door was tested for smoke leakage as required by BS 476-31.1.

¶40.8 Dr Lane and her team examined many of the entrance doors to the flats in Grenfell Tower after the fire for the purposes of Phase 1 of the Inquiry and in Annex I of her report she identified numerous discrepancies between the construction of the doors fitted to the flats and the construction of the door that had been subjected to testing.⁹³⁹⁹³⁹ Dr Lane Phase 1 Report – Appendix I – Flat Entrance and Stair Fire Doors – requirements and provisions {BLAR00000024/30} sections I4.3.42, {BLAR00000024/40-53} I4.5.29 – I4.5.88 and I4.7.4. We accept her evidence, from which it follows that in many, if not all, cases the doors installed under the replacement programme did not satisfy the requirements of Approved Document B for that reason also.

The specification

¶40.9 Simon Throp drafted the specification for the doors to be used for the replacement programme.⁹⁴⁰⁹⁴⁰ Acosta {Day166/7:6-18}; {Day166/16:6-12}; {Day166/18:9-18}; Letter from Carl Stokes to Janice Wray dated 7 March 2011 updated on 10 March 2011 {CST00013074/2}; Wray {Day143/42:8-19}. Carl Stokes and Janice Wray⁹⁴¹⁹⁴¹ Stokes {Day138/39:1-5}; {Day138/40:4-15}; Wray {Day143/40:13-15}; Acosta {Day166/17:6-18}; Wray {Day143/39:9-25}. were either consulted or provided general advice about the relevant regulatory requirements.⁹⁴²⁹⁴² Acosta {Day166/21:13-24}.

¶40.10 The tender documents required that the doors be "Security/30 min fire doors",⁹⁴³⁹⁴³ Manse Masterdor Ltd Tender Documents 2011 {MAS00000035/3}; {MAS00000035/90-91}. but despite the clear requirements of Approved Document B, they did not specify that the doorsets should be rated FD30S, nor did they expressly require the inclusion of cold smoke seals or confirmation that cold smoke leakage testing had been carried out. The documents did require fire test certification to be provided on request, but there was no similar requirement in relation to cold smoke leakage.⁹⁴⁴⁹⁴⁴ Manse Masterdor Ltd Tender Documents 2011 {MAS00000035/93}.

¶40.11 In its letter of 22 February 2011 conditionally accepting the bid, the TMO said that the schedule of individual door prices provided by Manse Masterdor in the tender documents would be incorporated in the contract.⁹⁴⁵⁹⁴⁵ Letter from the TMO to Manse Masterdor Ltd dated 10 February 2011 {MAS00000016/1}. The schedule referred to the doors as being rated FD30S but no further details were provided.⁹⁴⁶⁹⁴⁶ Manse Masterdor Ltd Tender Documents 2011{MAS00000035/7}. That was the only reference to the FD30S rating in the tender documents or product literature seen by Carl Stokes or others at the TMO.

¶40.12 Carl Stokes referred to three documents which he said had given him some assurance that the doors were available as 30-minute fire doors:⁹⁴⁷⁹⁴⁷ Stokes {CST00030186/15} page 15, paragraph 59. the Manse Masterdor "Suredor" brochure,⁹⁴⁸⁹⁴⁸ {CST00000116}. a style guide⁹⁴⁹⁹⁴⁹ {CST00002070}. and a specification sheet.⁹⁵⁰⁹⁵⁰ Manse Masterdor specification sheet {CST00002306}. It is true that the style guide indicated that some doors were available as 30-minute fire doors, but none of them was said to be available with an FD30S rating or with appropriate testing for cold smoke leakage. It seems clear to us that the Suredor GPR door was being marketed primarily as an entrance door for ordinary domestic use, for which a fire and smoke rating was not required.

¶40.13 Although it is unclear whether the TMO received copies of the certificates relating to tests carried out in accordance with BS 476-22, no one took any steps to check whether the doors supplied corresponded to the test certificates available.⁹⁵¹⁹⁵¹ Wray {Day143/57:13}-{Day143/58:3}; Stokes {Day138/66:8-22}, {Day138/67:3-13}; Acosta {Day166/31:15}-{Day166/32:18}; Pollard {MAS00000341/3} page 3, paragraphs 14 and 17 (certificates were provided to the TMO on two occasions).

Carl Stokes's advice

¶40.14 Carl Stokes was asked to advise the TMO on the requirements for fire doors in the relevant guidance⁹⁵²⁹⁵² Stokes {CST00030186/15} page 15, paragraph 57. and gave the TMO written advice on 7 March 2011⁹⁵³⁹⁵³ Letter from Carl Stokes to Janice Wray dated 7 March 2011 updated on 10 March 2011 {CST00013074}., 23 May 2011⁹⁵⁴⁹⁵⁴ Letter from Carl Stokes to Janice Wray dated 23 May 2011 {CST00000991}. and 24 June 2011⁹⁵⁵⁹⁵⁵ Letter from Carl Stokes to Abigail Acosta dated 24 June 2011 {CST00003149}.. Although he correctly identified the test standard for fire resistance, BS 476-22, he made no reference to the requirement for doors to be tested for cold smoke leakage. However, he was consistently clear that self-closing devices and smoke seals were required. He understood that the entrance doors to flats were required to be FD30 doors with the addition of smoke seals⁹⁵⁶⁹⁵⁶ Stokes {Day138/39:25}-{Day138/40:3}; {Day138/52:12-17}; {Day138/55:7-19}; {Day138/56:3-19}; {Day138/61:5-8}. and believed that "S" indicated that a cold smoke seal was fitted.⁹⁵⁷⁹⁵⁷ Stokes {Day138/65:18-19}. He was clearly unaware of the requirement for entrance doors to flats on protected corridors to have been tested for cold smoke leakage to the standard set out in BS 476-31.1.

¶40.15 Following a meeting with Simon Throp and Janice Wray on 10 March 2011, Carl Stokes wrote to Janice Wray⁹⁵⁸⁹⁵⁸ Letter from Carl Stokes to Janice Wray dated 7 March 2011 updated on 10 March 2011 {CST00013074}. asking her to obtain documentation from Manse Masterdor to confirm that the doors to be supplied would be the FD30 version and complied in all respects with the Building Regulations and the "Sleeping Guide". At the same time he pointed out the absence from the information he had seen of any references to self-closing devices or intumescent seals.

¶40.16 Carl Stokes had originally drafted the letter on 7 March 2011, three days before his meeting with Mr Throp and Ms Wray. In a note added after the meeting he recorded that Mr Throp had confirmed that the doors would have self-closing devices and cold smoke seals.

¶40.17 Carl Stokes attended the pilot installation of a Suredor GPR fire door by Manse Masterdor on 11 May 2011. He said that he had checked the sticker on the door to confirm that it was rated FD30.⁹⁵⁹⁹⁵⁹ Stokes {Day138/52:11-14}.

¶40.18 Following the pilot installation, Carl Stokes wrote to Janice Wray on 23 May 2011 telling her that on the basis of technical sheets she had given him and information provided by the installation team, the door was a fire-rated (FD30) version of the Suredor GRP fire door.⁹⁶⁰⁹⁶⁰ Letter from Carl Stokes to Janice Wray dated 23 May 2011 {CST00000991/1}. It is clear that he had not seen the fire resistance test certificates for himself and that he made his assessment of the doors on the basis of the limited information provided to him⁹⁶¹⁹⁶¹ Stokes {Day138/62:10-15}. and what he saw during the pilot installation. He said that having seen smoke seals fitted to the door frame he was satisfied that the doors were indeed rated FD30S.⁹⁶²⁹⁶² Stokes {Day138/64:9-25}. From his letter of 23 May 2011, it appears that he was satisfied that the doorset met the regulatory requirements.⁹⁶³⁹⁶³ Letter from Carl Stokes to Janice Wray dated 23 May 2011 {CST00000991}. Colin Todd thought it was reasonable to infer from the presence of a seal that a door was rated FD30S.⁹⁶⁴⁹⁶⁴ Todd {Day167/220:1-9}; {Day167/221:24}-{Day167/222:20}.

¶40.19 On 24 June 2011, Carl Stokes wrote to Abigail Acosta about the standards required for entrance doors to residential flats. He said that the doors should have a minimum of 30 minutes' integrity when tested in accordance with BS 476-22, be fitted with a self‑closing device and intumescent strips and a cold smoke seal, in other words that they should bear the suffix "S".⁹⁶⁵⁹⁶⁵ Letter from Carl Stokes to Abigail Acosta dated 24 June 2011 {CST00001388/1}.

¶40.20 Carl Stokes did not tell the TMO that entrance doors to flats should be tested for cold smoke leakage and his advice led Janice Wray to understand that, if doors had been tested for fire resistance for 30 minutes and had self-closing devices and smoke seals, they were FD30S doors.

¶40.21 The TMO's invitation to tender did not specify, as it should have done, that FD30S doors were required.⁹⁶⁶⁹⁶⁶ Manse Masterdor Ltd Tender Documents 2011 {MAS00000035}. Responsibility for that omission lies squarely with the TMO, which should have taken effective steps to make sure that it was procuring entrance doors that met the required standards. However, conditions on the night of 14 June 2017 were such that even a door rated FD30S would have provided little protection to the lobbies or the occupants of any of the flats.