Passive Fire Protection - New Standards
The main functions of a fire door or shutters are:-
- To maintain the fire separation of compartment walls, and separating walls, including large cavity barriers when a door assembly is incorporated for the passage of persons or objects.
- To maintain the fire separation in shafts or service ducts that penetrate compartment floors.
- To maintain the protection provided by walls forming protected routes for means of escape.
LPS 1056
Back in 1986, LPCB developed a Loss Prevention Standard against which we have been assessing and approving fire doors for almost two decades. This standard has recently been revised to incorporate new standards. Issue 6 of LPS 1056
"Requirements for the LPCB Approval and Listing of Fire Doorsets, Lift Landing Doors and Shutters? now incorporates the harmonised draft standard prEN 14600
Fire resisting and/or smoke control doorsets and operable windows - Requirements and classification".
LPS 1056 measures the fire integrity of the product and its door/shutter furniture using the European fire test method BS EN 1634-1 ?
Fire resistance tests for door and shutter assemblies? and classification in accordance with EN 13501-2
"Fire classification of Construction products and building elements" or the traditional national fire test method, BS 476:Part 20
- Methods for determination of the fire resistance of elements of construction (general principles)". The standard also calls up cyclic testing and impact testing and deals in detail with assessment procedures for outsized doors/shutters that cannot be fire tested.
The new LPS 1056 no longer stipulates LPCB's requirements for installation - these have been removed and are now covered in detail in a new standard, LPS 1271.
Installation
In order to provide adequate protection, not only must the fire door, shutter or barrier be manufactured and approved to the appropriate standard, they must also be installed and maintained correctly. The performance of an excellent product can be severely undermined by poor installation or maintenance of the product. In the event of fire, the failure of such a product could prove to be catastrophic. If the door or shutter is not installed by the manufacturing company, then an approved installer should be specified.
It is with this in mind that LPCB has developed LPS 1271
"Requirements for the LPCB Approval and Listing of companies installing fire and security doorsets, shutters and smoke barriers".
It is particularly important that the recommendations of the LPC Design Guide for the Fire Protection of Buildings are followed when installing doors and shutters. Approved doors and shutters may be recognised on site as each will bear an LPCB Red Label which carries a unique reference number.
Approved doors and shutters will only meet their designated fire resistance specifications when installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. These instructions are reviewed as part of the certification process of the door/shutter to LPS 1056.
The LPCB?s requirements for certification are set out in LPS 1271. Interested parties can contact the author for a copy of this document or it is available to download free of charge from the LPCB website at http://www.redbooklive.com/.
In order to ensure that the installed component will work when required, the installing company will issue a Certificate of Conformity to the Client.
Under LPS 1271, the approved installing company may use a sub-contractor as long as:-
- The quality of their equipment or workmanship is to be to the same standard as that of the LPS 1271 approved installing company.
- All work undertaken by such sub-contractors is to be reviewed and verified by qualified staff directly employed by the installing company to ensure that the requirements of the scheme are met. Records are to be maintained for all work sub-contracted.
- Service and maintenance activities should usually only be carried out by directly employed personnel, or be sub-contracted to other LPS 1197 approved Contractors (see Maintenance and Repair below).
Labelling is also covered under the requirements of the scheme - all products installed under LPS 1271 shall be marked with a tamper resistant label in a location that can be easily read by the property owner, police, insurance surveyor or any other party needing confirmation that the product has been installed in accordance with the requirements of LPS 1271.
Maintenance and Repair
LPCB also runs a scheme entitled LPS 1197
"Requirements for the LPCB Approval and Listing of Companies undertaking the Maintenance and Repair of Doorsets, Shutters and Active Smoke/Fire Barriers". Years of wear and tear can seriously affect the integrity of any product, especially where a product is subject to regular everyday use. Regular maintenance also gives assurance that Health and Safety Regulations are not contravened.
Companies certificated by the LPCB to LPS 1197 have to meet a stringent set of requirements. The standard lays down minimum servicing requirements for all types of doors and shutters and clearly outlines the procedures that should be followed if repair work needs to be undertaken. The standard also specifies the use of properly trained staff.
LPCB Approval
The LPCB certification process involves rigorous assessment and testing of products and services to help ensure that they meet and continue to meet quality standards. Many of our approvals are based on our own Loss Prevention Standards. Over the years many of these have been incorporated into other British, European and International Standards and nowadays, if our Board is satisfied that these other standards are suitable, then we use them as the basis for approval instead.
Approval of the products listed in the "Red Book" is usually based on testing undertaken by our world renowned testing laboratories. In addition we carry out regular and rigorous checks of production processes and installation and maintenance requirements as necessary. Together these checks help ensure that the product you select will offer the required level of protection.
Red Book Listing
Once we are satisfied that a product, service or company meets the necessary standards, we issue a certificate and list them in the LPCB List of Approved Fire and Security Products and Services, commonly referred to as the "Red Book." Upon receipt of LPCB approval, the product can then bear the LPCB mark.
We believe that our marks stand for something special - they are true "quality marks" and unlike some approval marks, they are recognised across the world. We offer something that no other UK based Product Certification Body offers - transparency. We do this though the "Red Book" and our website. The Red Book is accessed by many thousands of specifiers across the world, either through direct mail, via distribution at exhibitions, events and trade missions or via our "live" list on our website at http://www.redbooklive.com/.
For further information please telephone the author on +44 (0)1923 665136 or email enquiries@brecertification.co.uk
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