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LABMONLINE.CO.UK
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
LOCAL AUTHORITY BUILDING & MAINTENANCE
Part of the Masonite Group
BUILDING SAFETY AND THE LATEST FIRE DOOR SOLUTIONS Page 28 | Door-Stop discusses the importance of Dual Certification Page 30 | Product Focus: Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset Page 32 | Using digital tools to drive a better, safer industry
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ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
Dual certification offers safer, more secure housing
Hannah Mansell, Group Technical Director at Masonite UK and Door-Stop International, explains what the social housing sector needs to consider when specifying fire doorsets, and how Door-Stop’s latest product — the Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset — can help those responsible for managing fire door safety. hen we launched the Fire and Security DualCertificated Doorset last year, we wanted to provide the social housing sector with a product that they could install into the homes of residents with confidence that it would perform as intended in the event of a fire. We spent a significant amount of time undertaking research and development testing to create the robust primary test evidence base that is used in our certification. This helps us to understand not only what makes a door pass a furnace test, but also the contributory factors that make a
W
The four panel doorset in green with an arched glazed panel and TS 008 security and fire rated letter plate
The new Door-Stop Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset in grey with a one square glazed panel
product fail. It is essential that those working with fire doors in high-risk residential buildings also know what they should be looking for when choosing a new product. Fire doorsets are complete systems, so it’s important to understand the interplay and impact that every component — even something as tiny as a screw or fixing — has
on the system as a whole. That’s why transparency, traceability and technical support are integral to our approach.
Confidence in the specification When choosing a new fire doorset, consideration must be given to how the Responsible Person and the Principal
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Roles and responsibilities Responsible Person: The person who has legal responsibility for the fire safety in a building and is in charge of overseeing the safety of all building users under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Principal Accountable Person: The person with overall responsibility for meeting the statutory duties introduced through the Building Safety Bill for the whole building introduced in July 2021. Accountable Persons and Responsible Persons are required to cooperate with one another when fulfilling their duties to deliver a holistic approach to the management of building and fire safety risks in their building.
Accountable Person are going to manage the product throughout its lifecycle. Stakeholders need to have access to information to be able to make informed decisions every step of the way, from initial specification through to installation and on-going maintenance. Third party certification is central to this, enabling access and traceability to the full specification of the product. Certification is a complex process, but it allows stakeholders to get the product information they need and be assured the product achieves the stated performance (more on this on pages 32-33).
Essential information for postoccupancy management Accurate record keeping of the product that has been installed and any future maintenance or refurbishment works is imperative to managing a fire safety product throughout its life. To help stakeholders easily access information about fire doorsets,
The doorset in duck egg blue with TS 008 security and fire letter plate
a tamperproof traceability label is applied to each Door-Stop doorset that allows stakeholders to trace the specific doorset, certificate and data sheet, and download it from a publicly available register. This unique sequential traceability also allows Door-Stop to have permanent digital traceability of the raw materials, components and production processes for each doorset. This helps our stakeholders to confidently validate, now and in the future, that the doorset installed on site matches the certificated specification. To help fire safety professionals within local authorities and housing associations keep on top of the latest best practice guidance, Door-Stop offer a ‘Behind Closed Doors: Managing Fire Door Safety in Purpose Built Flats’ webinar. The presentation looks at the different types of fire doors in these buildings, the considerations when managing retrofit essential fire door safety works, and how stakeholders should interact with them
during the specification, installation and maintenance. The webinar gives insight into testing, including primary test evidence and dual third-party certification and how to navigate the complex paperwork trail that often comes with fire doors. For a copy of the webinar, please contact ukmarketingteam@masonite.com. Founded in 2008, all Door-Stop International products are manufactured in the UK with all operations taking place at the Door-Stop head office in Nottinghamshire. Door-Stop has been part of the Masonite group since 2014.
■ To find out more about the Fire and Security DualCertificated Doorset, visit masonite.co.uk/firedoorset or contact the sales team by calling 01623 446 336 or emailing sales@doorstop.co.uk
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ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
Product Focus: Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset The Door-Stop International Fire and Security Dual-Certificated Doorset is third-party certificated using a robust base of primary test evidence as the foundation for certification. Its extensive testing regime goes beyond minimum standard benchmarks to account for testing variability and provide layers of assurances in the results.
Door Closer Can be adjusted to achieve various opening forces
Core A solid timber core with GRP facings
Hinges Grade 13 stainless steel fire door hinges
Frame UPVC frame with timber reinforcement
Choosing a fire doorset To support social housing providers during the specification process, Door-Stop’s online product configurator tool can be used to tailor the doorset to the required specification. Further support is on hand for those that would prefer to discuss projects with one of Masonite’s experienced specification or technical team. Door-Stop’s 10-day lead time makes its fire doorsets suitable for a variety of scenarios experienced by social housing providers: essential retrofit works; reactive maintenance; refurbishment; and new-build projects.
Threshold Part M compliant
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Intumescent Seals Graphite based intumescent, encapsulated in red PVC
Glazing
TS008
Patented glazing system with security and fireglass
Fire rated letterplate with security cowl
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ADVERTORIAL SUPPLEMENT
Using digital tools to drive a better, safer industry
Digital systems can help to build a more transparent construction industry that is safer and better understood by the people who live in and use the buildings around us. Hannah Mansell, Group Technical Director at Masonite UK and Door-Stop International, takes us through the importance of its ‘Critical to Safety’ digital system, which is designed to ensure that every fire doorset is produced to the proper standard.
Door-Stop, our digital Golden Thread of traceability starts with “ourAtbespoke digital ‘Critical to Safety’ framework. This records the multiple production and specification checks carried out on the components and manufacturing processes of each doorset.
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ne of the key recommendations of the Hackitt Report was the creation of a digital Golden Thread of information. The purpose is to create a permanent digital record for every building that lasts for its whole lifetime. In practice, it means that all information related to a building, from design through to construction and occupation, is digitally passed along the chain to the relevant people, for example from architect to contractor. This is so building owners and end users can understand everything about their building, including the construction methodology, the products installed, and the expected levels of quality and performance. Crucially, this information should be readily available, to help with on-going asset maintenance and to manage expectations. The Golden Thread applies to all buildings within scope of the new building safety regime that was introduced via the new Building Safety Bill in July 2021. Included in the scope are occupied higher-risk buildings — those over 18 metres or seven-storeys with at least two residential units. Manufacturers play an important role in providing this information in a transparent manner.
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Digital tools bring safety to the top of the agenda At Door-Stop, our digital Golden Thread of traceability starts with our bespoke digital ‘Critical to Safety’ framework. This records the multiple production and specification checks carried out on the components and manufacturing processes of each doorset. This helps to ensure that the specification is maintained at every stage of production. Every doorset is supplied with copies of the full certificate, data sheet and installation instructions, which list the original primary test evidence reports of our product. The label traceability affixed to each doorset means that stakeholders can not only see who the manufacturer was but can also trace their way back to the certificate and access detail of compatible components and specification limitations via a publicly available register. This is a vital link to help stakeholders manage, inspect and maintain the product throughout its lifetime.
Primary test evidence is an important factor of third-party certification. Every test sample that we manufacture is witnessed by an independent third-party observer and they verify each component and the full production process. During this process, the independent witness permanently marks the doorset with traceability marks. These are then verified by the test house and on the sampling report that is included in the final test report. This proves that the product that was tested was the same one that was witnessed and sampled, directly from the production line in our factory. This directly addresses one of the criticisms within the Grenfell Inquiry; that manufacturers do not provide clarity behind product specifications or around the specification that was originally tested.
Increasing understanding behind construction products This level of transparency is essential if we are to build trust back into the building products industry. So too, is that manufacturers link the gap between the doorset leaving the factory and it being installed on site. For fire doors and doorsets to perform in line with the specification and certification, they must be installed in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. We ship detailed installation guides with every product. We also recommend using third party certified installers to ensure a level of
suitable competency and documentation is exercised throughout the installation and maintenance processes. Together, it means that the doorset should perform as intended in an emergency. We also ship every doorset with a Resident Guide, to help improve fire door safety knowledge among end users. This is so that they are empowered to take a more active role in their own safety and can raise any issues if required. The guide includes a simple checklist that residents can use to check and understand their fire doorset, as well as links to further sources of information if they have any further queries. The industry is trying to address this issue around transparency too. In September 2021, the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) was launched. Developed by the Construction Products Association (CPA), it sets out five core principles — that all product information must be Clear, Accurate, Up-to-date, Accessible and Unambiguous. Supported by 11 clauses around how information is created and verified, it should help to drive change in the future. However, it is a voluntary standard. Manufacturers should be driving a more open approach around these critical to safety products anyway. We believe that it should be the minimum requirement for any business that supplies products like these — lives may depend on it.
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Door-Stop International Fire Doorsets I E: sales@door-stop.co.uk I T: 01623 446336 www.masonite.co.uk/firedoorsets/