Third-party-certificated companies must satisfy stringent, regular assessments to prove their competence and reliability.
The government’s implementation plan, which promised to implement in full recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt in the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, includes a pledge to “work with industry to establish minimum standards for third-party certification of key fire safety products, including their installation and inspection.”
Third-party-certificated products should be mandated and apply to product installers and risk assessors, according to Jonathan O’Neill OBE, managing director of the Fire Protection Association. BAFE recently developed a scheme for third-party certification for the design, installation, commissioning, recharge and maintenance of kitchen fire suppression/extinguishing systems.
“We encourage people to specify UKAS-accredited third-party certificated providers in the interest of life safety.” Stephen Adams, BAFE chief executive
“With the growing attention the fire industry has been understandably receiving, it is important to educate this wider audience on the importance of third-party certification,” said Frazer Wisniewski, marketing manager at BAFE. “With a greater understanding, we aim to help drive demand for third-party-certificated fire safety service providers. Until there is a clear legislative definition of competency for these specific services, we believe that UKAS-accredited third-party certification is the best independent evidence of competency within the fire safety industry.”
Said Stephen Adams, BAFE chief executive: “First and foremost we encourage people to specify UKAS-accredited third-party certificated providers in the interest of life safety. We anticipate a much stronger emphasis on competency by government and the fire and Rescue services in the future landscape and third-party certification will be a key element of this.”
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