PRODUCT PERFORMANCE TESTING Kurtis Mulholland explained:


“Having been involved in the scheme’s development with our own input and ideas for the past five years, we have been excited to see the new testing standard and guidance develop. The proof, as they say, however, is ‘in the pudding’, and when the opportunity arose to take one of our products to the BRE facility for a day of ‘pre-testing,’ i.e. to subject our Humber Two window to some of the tests which will form part of the formal testing and grading process, we were keen to do so.”


A dedicated unit At the BRE Science Park, Nick Sutton said, the testing, research, and innovation specialist has set up a dedicated test facility in one of the units on the site, within which sits a steel rig into which the Polar Humber Two was installed and clamped into place. He explained: “To give us a clear idea of what the formal testing under the scheme will entail, we spent the whole day witnessing two BRE personnel undertaking a range of testing on our Humber Two. They began with a range of ligature resistance tests, using items such as nails, shoelaces of different thicknesses and sizes, and the wire out of a bra. “They also used plastic and metal forks,


knives, and spoons; in fact they have a whole list of items for the ligature testing – all of which service-users could potentially get hold of within a mental healthcare facility. In the real test the product would then be graded for its ligature resistance. Our job when designing for mental healthcare facilities is to create a product that prevents service-users from hurting themselves or others, and watching the testing gave us a great insight into the environments these the products are going into, and some of the challenges.” Nick Sutton explained that in contrast


to the Annex B testing, where some of the testing of products’ attack and abuse resistance is undertaken by a human tester, under the new DiMHN / BRE testing the testers use sand-filled and steel balls on a mechanically-operated pendulum, focusing on impacting different parts of the product in turn, with the balls used lifted higher and higher to increase the force of impact. He said: “There is some similarity with the Annex B testing here, in that the BRE testers attacked different parts of our window in turn – focusing, for instance, on the handle, glass, and frame. The key with the mechanical testing of robustness


The steel rig at the BRE testing facility into which into products to be tested are clamped, with the Polar Humber Two installed and in place.


and attack resistance is consistency, which means that specifiers wanting to compare the performance of, say, two secure windows sharing similar features, can do so knowing the testing method on both will have been identical. With the attack resistance in Annex B, there could be some variation depending, for example, on the size and strength of the tester. We were please that by the day’s end – with the Humber Two having been attacked with considerable force, it was still largely intact.”


An interesting and informative day Kurtis Mulholland added: “Nick, our MD, James Hill, Operations manager, Rob Lofthouse, and I found the day very interesting, in that the pre-testing gave us all a clear idea of what our secure windows will be subject to when they undergo formal testing. The scheme should benefit suppliers of a whole range of products, and I feel, like the DiMHN and BRE, that with the testing scheme’s creation we are ahead of the game internationally in mental health. I think the mental health sector in many other countries will be looking to the standard as an excellent testing model.” Nick Sutton explained that Polar NE will be looking to get the Humber Two, and


In the real test the product would be graded for its ligature resistance. Our job when designing for mental healthcare facilities is to create a product that prevents service-users from hurting themselves or others, and watching the testing gave us a great insight into the environments these the products are going into, and some of the challenges National Sales manager, Polar NE, Nick Sutton


THE NETWORK | MAY 2023


the company’s new Derwent Secure heavy duty door solution – which incorporates welded corners for increased strength, and is designed to provide increased safety and security for up to medium secure facilities – formally tested over coming months. He said: “I would hope that we will then submit further products for testing in the short-to-medium term.” These, he explained, would include a new security window with fixed mesh and trickle ventilation system which Polar NE has developed with Greater Manchester Mental Health Care Trust and VINCI Construction. To be named the Irwell, the new window has already been specified for use in 158 bedrooms at the Trust’s new North View inpatient mental health unit on the North Manchester General Hospital site, which is due for completion in 2024.


A ‘game-changer’ for the sector Nick Sutton had the last word: “We have been very much behind the new DiMHN and BRE Informed Choices testing scheme and guidance from the start, and are delighted to see products starting to be tested. Our day at the BRE afforded us some great insight both into the testing process itself, and how we can potentially further improve the new Humber Two window. I believe we were one of the first suppliers to the sector to go through the pre-testing process. I think the scheme is going to be a real game-changer in ensuring the supply of well-designed, fit-for-purpose products to a range of mental healthcare settings, and in giving specifiers confidence that they can make a truly informed choice between different companies’ products, confident in the knowledge that they can compare their various performance aspects based on thorough and consistent testing.”


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