By bizn_fun 
Cladding campaigners say the word “tolerable” appears dozens of times in the guidelines, which are known in the industry as PAS 8890.
Combustible materials are allowed to remain in place if risks are assessed to be “tolerable” – meaning in a standard fire test a blaze does not spread beyond one floor within 15 minutes or two floors within 30 minutes.
Mr Jones argues that in the guidance, engineers are not explicitly required to present fire test safety data for these materials, making assessments subjective and open to interpretation.
He believes the lack of a ban on materials with “limited combustibility” is “another gaming of the system. It’s a fuel, it just burns a little bit slower.”
Part of the motivation for tolerating certain risks is to avoid delays caused by disagreements about how much work is needed to make buildings constructed with cladding safe.
Progress has been slow in the eight years since the Grenfell tragedy.
Ministry of Housing statistics for December show around 475 of the more than 5,500 blocks so far identified as unsafe have been completely fixed and certified as safe in the last 12 months.
Cladding has been replaced in 35% of those dangerous blocks since Grenfell – including nearly all of the tallest buildings with the same type of cladding as Grenfell Tower.
Residents’ representatives fear that any flammable materials left in place can lead to a lower fire safety rating – even after repairs. In turn, this could result in permanently higher building insurance premiums.
In a statement, the government said it was up to the insurance industry to bring premiums down once buildings are certified as safe.
The insurance industry says if flammable materials remain, it will price the risk accordingly.