Door Industry Journal - Winter 2015

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk industry news feature 7 THE door industry journal winter 2015 “No Performance Determined” (usually abbreviated to “NPD”). The installer should check that declarations have been made against at least the following: dangerous substances, wind load, safe opening and mechanical resistance & stability. In all but the last case, the declarations must be based on evidence from a “notified test laboratory”, which should be identified on the DoP. All of this information can be used to complete the installer’s own DoP for the powered door; the original manual door DoP should be retained in the technical file. Generally, the only characteristic which cannot be taken directly from the manual door DoP is “operating forces”, which is relevant only to powered doors; this characteristic must be declared by the installer. Given that this declaration must be on the basis of evidence from a notified test laboratory, how should the installer go about this? Much the simplest way is to rely on “cascaded evidence” from either the drive supplier or the door supplier. For the purposes of this article, we shall assume that the drive supplier has had their product tested with a range of different doors by a notified test laboratory; from these results, the supplier is able to predict that their drive is capable of delivering safe operating forces over a particular range of sizes, weights and configurations of door. The supplier is also able to give precise written instructions about how to use the drive to guarantee that the stated performance will be achieved in practice. If all this is available, then with the supplier’s written permission, the installer is able to complete their DoP declaration on “safe operating forces”, all without carrying out further testing. The situation is similar if the door supplier has commissioned tests with several drives. All the above documents must be retained in the installer’s technical file; the final DoP for the powered door must also be passed on to the customer, signed by the installer. Machinery Directive The drive should have a Declaration of Incorporation (DoI) under the Machinery Directive, accompanied by full instructions as to how the drive is to be incorporated in the final door assembly. This documentation must be kept in the installer’s technical file, as should any instructions provided by the door manufacturer. Notes should also be kept of any testing and checks carried out by the installer during the commissioning of the product, including any action taken to address site- specific issues. The installer then creates a Declaration of Conformity with the Machinery Directive, giving it to the customer and retaining a copy on file. General The installer must provide instructions to the user, including recommendations concerning maintenance. A copy of these instructions should be retained on file. The CE mark must be applied to the completed door, covering both the Construction Products Regulation and the Machinery Directive; an example of a CE mark is shown below: Conclusion Provided the drive or door supplier is in a position to assist by providing cascaded evidence from a notified test laboratory under the Construction Products Regulation, the process described above should not be too difficult. Be aware that this is not the same as a Declaration of Incorporation, which has no relevance to the CPR. Further information about the documents and procedures described above are available from the DHF website: www.dhfonline.org.uk