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Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, Heriot-Watt has been undertaking a detailed survey of all buildings on all of its Campuses.
Following extensive checks and tests we can verify that there is no cladding of the type implicated in the London fire on any of our Scottish Campus buildings or our Campus in Malaysia. Where any type of cladding does exist it has been fully examined to make sure that it meets high standards of fire safety.
There is no cladding on any of the buildings at the University's Dubai Campus.
Our professional Health & Safety team, which includes an experienced Fire Safety Manager, works closely with all parts of the University, the companies that we contract with and the relevant fire authorities and other external agencies to ensure that high standards of fire safety are met within all of our buildings. The University has robust processes in place to ensure that a culture of fire risk and fire safety awareness is maintained at all of our campuses and student induction includes guidance on fire safety measures and the responsibility of individual students to help maintain fire safety.
The University carries out detailed fire risk assessments annually on residencies and all other buildings and all University buildings are fitted with sophisticated fire detection systems, with firefighting equipment and fittings tested and inspected regularly. The University has trained staff to respond to fire alarm activations and has fire actions plans for every building.
As Houses in Multiple Occupation, our Scottish student residency buildings are HMO-licensed and must pass regular and stringent HMO health and safety assessments. They are also inspected regularly by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
We take the health and safety of our students and staff extremely seriously and will continue to maintain the highest standards of fire safety.