To achieve certification Panache Fire Services nominated a number of supervisors to demonstrate their competence to fit fire-stopping products and supervise their installation.
Under the Fire Stopping Installation scheme, which was recently introduced to raise standards in how fire stopping solutions are installed, building owners and Responsible Persons who use a certified company are presented with a certificate of installation.
Each nominated supervisor was required to attend BM TRADA’s Fire Protection in Buildings Explained seminar, complete the scheme-specific training including an examination and pass an on-site competence assessment at a live customer site.
The testing body also inspected work conducted by each supervisor and those under their supervision at a live customer site.
Following certification, each installer is required to notify details of all installations to BM TRADA through its web-based database and place a label next to each installation to confirm that scheme requirements have been met.
BM TRADA then emails a certificate to the person nominated by the installer, confirming details of what has been installed. This certificate can be retained by the building owner to demonstrate that compartment lines have been adequately fire-stopped.
Certification can also help Responsible Persons meet their obligations under Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations.
Certification under the scheme is valid for three years and is maintained through a programme of annual surveillance audits and a recertification audit in the third year before the certification expires.
“Panache Fire Services Ltd is pleased to be the first company to have achieved certification under BM TRADA’s Q-Mark scheme for Fire Stopping Installation,” says Panache Fire Services Ltd Business Development and Marketing Manager Jessica Williams.
“We are determined to improve installation standards throughout the construction process and the scheme offers us an opportunity to demonstrate our skills and expertise in this area and to provide our customers with all the assurances they need.”
Says BM TRADA Business Development Manager Simon Beer: “Third party certification plays an important role in assuring the quality of products and of providing confidence to building owners, specifiers and Responsible Persons that appropriate products have been correctly installed.
“BM TRADA’s Q-Mark scheme for Fire Stopping Installation provides an essential means of verifying the competence of companies who are installing the fire-stopping and of certifying each installation.”
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