The Fire Protection Association (FPA) has become UKAS accredited to perform fire resistance testing, following expansion of its testing facilities with the addition of two fire resistance test furnaces in collaboration with UL Solutions.
The FPA has said this new capability provides third-party accredited support to manufacturers who require independent fire testing and certification – in line with one of its overall objectives to improve the quality of the built environment.
Said to reach temperatures in excess of 1000°C, the large scale (4m wide x 3m high) vertical furnace and small scale (1.5×1.5m) vertical and horizontal furnace are to test to a range of fire resistance standards for numerous product types including:
With growing scrutiny on the UK fire safety and construction product sectors to ensure buildings are robustly built, the Association believes the increase in testing capacity through the accreditation will provide greater assurance to building owners, occupiers, and residents in the event of a fire.
Chris Miles, Commercial Director at the FPA, described the achievement saying: “This accreditation is just the end of the beginning for this collaboration between the FPA and UL Solutions. Together we recognised that UK construction needed additional fire resistance testing capability and over the last three years have worked to further support fire testing in the UK by expanding our capacities as a fire testing laboratory to meet the demands of the industry. This should now help the UK construction industry to deal with the many demands that come with the tighter regulatory framework currently being developed in the UK.”
Daniel Murray, Europe Sales Manager at UL Solutions, commented: “In light of the ‘Testing for a Safer Future’ review published in April, the provision of high quality product testing facilities in the UK is particularly important.
“Working together, UL Solutions and the FPA can provide greater confidence to construction product manufacturers and system providers about market access, providing them with the tests and third-party certifications required by UK regulations and also satisfying the requirements of regulators around the world.”
Richard Glover, Head of the FPA’s Fire Testing & Experimental Unit, added: “Receiving accreditation is a major step forward on the journey that we are on. We are proud to have the hard work and effort put in by everyone in the team recognised through the comprehensive external auditing process. A massive thank you to everyone who has helped along the way.
“The new Fire Resistance team is part of the strong partnership between the FPA and UL Solutions and we thoroughly look forward to working collaboratively to meet our clients’ fire resistance testing needs.”
Enjoy the latest fire and security news, updates and expert opinions sent straight to your inbox with IFSEC Insider's essential weekly newsletters. Subscribe today to make sure you're never left behind by the fast-evolving industry landscape.
Sign up now!
