Sep 8, 2023 at 9:42 PM Update: 2 hours ago
The same type of concrete has been found at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, which previously forced more than a hundred British schools to close. This happened out of fear for safety. The light RAAC concrete appears to have a shorter lifespan than expected.
At Heathrow, the concrete was found in terminal 3. After the problems at schools in the United Kingdom came to light, the airport immediately ordered an investigation.
A spokesperson for Gatwick said the airport maintains a list of locations where RAAC is present. According to him, this is “closely monitored through regular, extensive and structural inspections”.
No worries about staff and passengers for the time being
Because both airports continue to monitor the situation, there are currently no concerns about staff and passengers. “The safety of passengers and colleagues will always be our first priority. We will keep the industry informed about our plans for a resolution,” a Heathrow spokesperson said.
RAAC was widely used in walls, floors and ceilings from the 1950s to the mid-1990s. This concerns reinforced lightweight concrete, which is relatively cheap. But it now appears that the concrete does not last that long. Concerns about sustainability arose in 2018, when a primary school roof suddenly collapsed in south-east England.
Just before the start of the new school year, the British Ministry of Education issued a new safety guideline. This resulted in more than a hundred schools having to look for alternative classrooms to teach thousands of children.
Image: ANP
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HeathrowUnited KingdomEconomy
2023-09-08 19:42:36
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