Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk THE door industry journal summer 2024 Doorsets, Fire Doors, Safety & Security performance, through regular audits of manufacturing facilities and audit testing. There are many recognised third party certification schemes operating in the UK fire industry, including UL, IFC, Blue Sky Certification and Q-Mark (BM Trada), each one independent and without bias. As an organisation, we insist that our manufacturing partners meet the non-mandatory requirements of BM Trada’s Q-Mark Composite Fire Door schemes STD 170 and STD 50. Also, we encourage the use of Q-Mark STD 052 fire door installers wherever possible. We do this to promote confidence and provide greater assurance. The certification is held in the public domain, for example and can be accessed by anyone online. It is also proof of an ongoing vow to quality and excellence – the certificate can be withdrawn or suspended if there is proof of non-conformance or a lack of testing. Again, the information is shared publicly. This level of scrutiny makes for a very compelling product offering. External and internal fire doorsets Beyond Building Regulations there is now also the minimum mandatory requirement under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) in England, Scotland and Wales for component parts under a harmonised or designated standard to carry a UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark. Currently, the requirement only applies to fire doorsets for external applications. Internal fire doorsets are exempt, although we anticipate that this will change in the future (dependent on the adoption of EN14351-2 as a UK-approved standard) Under new legislation to legally supply fire doorsets for external use i.e., locations that are open to the elements such as external flat entrances, the manufacturer must first be UKCA accredited. This authorises them to produce a UKCA-marked external fire doorset and issue a Declaration of Performance (DoP) that references both BS EN 14351-1, the external pedestrian doorset standard and BS EN 16034, the standard for fire resisting and/or smoke control pedestrian doorsets proving compliance. These tests must be conducted by a third party and certificated using an independent UKAS-accredited test house and certification body. Importance of regular checks However, while mandatory it is widely recognised that UKCA mark conformity is not as powerful, nor does it have the same level of control as a third party certification scheme. This is due, in part, to a general lack of regular external auditing which allows non-conformance to go unchecked. As a member of the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers (ACDM), we are encouraged by the recent actions of the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) whose primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm. The OPSS has been auditing some fire door manufacturers against the requirements set by the UKCA mark. This includes control systems, training records and technical documentation. While this may not be as comprehensive as the audit conducted by BM Trada, we welcome the proactive scrutiny. For more please visit: www.firedoorsystems.co.uk and www.distinctiondoors.co.uk 107
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