Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 108 THE door industry journal winter 2024 Doorsets, Fire Doors, Safety & Security Why Third-Party Certification for Passive Fire Protection Product Installations is Paramount to Building Safety Ensuring the highest safety standards in our built environment is paramount and the effectiveness of fire-stopping products hinges on their proper installation and maintenance. Nick Froggatt, FIRAS Manager at Warringtonfire, delves into the importance of third-party certification for Passive Fire Protection (PFP) product installations in enhancing fire safety. Recent years have seen significant updates to building regulations, including the Building Safety Act 20221, aimed at strengthening residents’ and homeowners’ rights, powers, and protections. While many provisions of the Act will roll out over the coming years through secondary legislation, some have already been enacted. A key development is the establishment of the Building Safety Regulator in England, under the Health and Safety Executive. This regulator oversees higher-risk buildings, elevates safety standards across all buildings, and supports design, construction, and building control professionals to enhance their competence. Additionally, the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 20222 have clarified the scope of the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRFSO) for buildings with multiple domestic premises and introduced new responsibilities for building owners or managers (responsible persons)3. The new regulations emphasise improving fire safety and ensuring the seamless transfer of information from building design to completion and occupation, often referred to as the ‘golden thread’4. This concept, introduced by Dame Judith Hackitt in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety5, underscores the growing adoption of third-party certification for manufacturing, installing, and maintaining PFP products. In the UK, PFP products such as fire doors, fire collars, sealants, and door hardware must be tested to relevant British Standards for fire resistance, with test data provided as evidence. While test reports offer a level of assurance, they only reflect the product’s performance under test conditions and do not account for the manufacturer’s factory processes or quality control procedures. Independent UKAS-accredited third-party certification schemes for PFP products offer additional assurance through activities like pre-testing product sampling, periodic factory production control inspections, and ongoing audit testing of market-supplied products. These schemes also mandate labelling and marking, allowing manufacturers to identify products as certified, which aids in ongoing risk assessment and maintenance. However, the effectiveness of PFP products is contingent on the installation methods used by the companies that install them. Currently, there is no mandatory requirement for PFP product manufacturers or installers to be third-party certified. This means that product performance and traceability often rely on test evidence alone, without the added assurance of independent conformity assessments and third-party inspections of installations against manufacturer instructions. Unlocking Multiple Benefits For PFP product installers, independent UKAS accredited third-party certification provides concrete assurance of product performance and builds trust that installations are carried out correctly according to manufacturer instructions. A reputable third-party certification scheme for PFP product installation includes regular reviews to ensure certified installers meet scheme requirements, follow manufacturer instructions, and provide the necessary assurance to end users and building occupants. This positions third-party certified installers as reputable and reliable, distinguishing them from competitors and attracting more business.
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