Those involved in supplying and specifying fire doors have been warned to check the scope of their product approvals and test evidence – before it is potentially too late.
Chiltern International Fire says that some fire door manufacturers may not fully understand the scope of their test evidence or assessments and incur unnecessary extra costs as problems come to light at building handover.
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of cases where Building Control have picked up problems with fire doors,” said Mark Cummings, CIF head of section for fire resistance. “On examination, the issues often relate to the scope of the test evidence. Manufacturers can very easily avoid additional costs by fully understanding what their test evidence covers and what falls outside the scope. Unlike ordinary doors, fire doors are a highly engineered and specialist product and the scope of the test evidence can be fairly narrow.”
He cited variations on configuration, species or glazing as possible problem areas, unless they have been specifically tested or appraised. Otherwise, manufacturers may be required to run additional tests to replicate conditions on site, which would result in additional and unnecessary expenditure.
“Testing is an investment and it is wise to extend the scope as far as possible for greater flexibility longer term,” he added. “It’s usually more cost-effective, too. It is important that manufacturers understand that even a simple change of hardware can invalidate the test result.”
He said one way that manufacturers can better appreciate the scope of their test evidence is to joining a third party certification scheme, which also provides the end user with greater confidence in the product.
