Feature Third Party Certification


Third party certification is required in many areas of UK construction, including gas and electricity, and yet there is no such thing for fire safety. The demonstration of professional competence in fire safety is non-mandatory - And something which must be acknowledged by facilities managers.


In recent years several GRP composite fire door system houses, and members of the Association of Composite Door Manufacturers, have gained third party certification and taken control of their supply chain. This not only significantly reduces risk but also promotes stake-holder confidence.


It also goes some way to meet the demand for improved product traceability.


One system supplier now insists that all stages of the supply chain up to and including doorset manufacture are third-party certified to the BM Trada Q-Mark Fire Door Manufacturer certification scheme.


By choosing to mandate the supply chain, this system supplier has more autonomy than its competitors. It can control all components apart from door closers and sealed units; however, these must match the tested specification.


Ultimately, this means there is less dilution of the product through the supply chain. With this system, for example, the door blank and frame are pre-machined, so the hardware locates positively, the intumescent is pre-applied and the letterplate also features pre-applied intumescent.


Certified Installation


While progress has been made in the supply chain, there is still the matter of a competent installation and robust maintenance – both essential to consistent fire-resistant performance and critical in the life cycle of these products.


Some installation companies have recognised a demand for third party certification and have taken steps to achieve this. The BM TRADA Q-Mark Fire Door Installation scheme has been ‘…designed to provide reassurance to specifiers, contractors and end users that the product they have chosen has been installed correctly and that it should perform as intended.’


Facilities, purchasing and building maintenance managers would do well to seek installation companies which meet the requirements of Q-Mark STD 052, and demonstrate competence in the installation of fire doors. This can sometimes be the same supplier which fabricates the fire door – in reality, there is no one more competent.


Maintenance Matters


Long-term, maintenance is a crucial factor in the reliable and consistent performance of a fire door. As a risk to life product, it is a duty of care. A robust maintenance and auditing schedule is essential as are regular inspections, if we are to avoid another tragedy like Grenfell. Of course, every entrance fire door is as important as the next but, due to the volume of people and high footfall, this is particularly important in multi-occupied residential buildings.


This is one area which the new Building Safety Bill as published in draft in 2020 hopes to address by empowering residents and improving transparency. In Clause 83: requests for further information,


the explanatory notes detail a recommendation that ‘… residents should automatically receive key building safety information…’ and


that ‘…more detailed information


about the safety of the building should be made available to any resident on request.’


This is yet to be set out in regulations but it is currently envisaged that further information will include: full, current and historical fire risk assessments; planned maintenance and repairs schedules; outcome of building safety inspection checks; how assets in the building are managed; details of preventive measures; fire protection measures in place; information on the maintenance of fire safety systems; fire strategy for the building; structural assessments; and planned and historical changes to the building.


With this degree of transparency and ultimately,


accountability, there would be no room wiggle room. An effective fire door maintenance programme would be fundamental.


Building Safety Regulator


This accountability will be underpinned by the new Building Safety Regulator, formally named by the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).


As an independent body, the HSE will ‘…oversee the safe design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings so that residents are safe and feel safe.


It will give ‘…


expert advice to local regulators, landlords and building owners, the construction and building design industry, and to residents.’


The new building safety regulator was established in law ‘…in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and following recommendations in the ‘Building a Safer Future’ report by Dame Judith Hackitt.’ (hse.gov.uk).


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