What is Fire Door Certification?
Member Commitment
Members of the BWF Fire Door Alliance have committed to a rigorous certification programme that gives customers and end-users confidence in the potentially lifesaving products that have been supplied.
Fire Door Certification
Third party certification is the cornerstone of the BWF Fire Door Alliance and should be the minimum requirement for every passive fire protection product. Third-party certification of fire doors and doorsets provides crucial evidence that a fire door, when correctly installed and maintained, is fit for purpose and complies with fire door regulations, designed to protect lives and property.
Offering traceability throughout the construction supply chain, including important information about the door’s component parts, third-party certification gives assurance that a fire door will perform as designed in the event of a fire.
Testing
In the UK, all fire door designs should be tested to BS 476 Part 22 or the European equivalent BS EN 1634 Part 1 by a UKAS approved test facility, to represent how they will function in a fire, and that the manufacturer can demonstrate that there is evidence supporting the performance of the door.
The certification provider requires each fire door design to be tested as a complete assembly every 5 years, or 250,000 doors produced, to ensure standards are maintained.
Auditing
All members involved in the manufacture and conversion of fire doors or their associated components are audited annually by their Certification provider.
The audit aims to ensure that fire doors or components being made and adjusted use the same materials identified in the original test for that specific design. The auditor will also look to ensure that the BWF Fire Door Alliance labels and installation instructions are being attached to every door and that records are kept for each door, to ensure traceability.
Quality Management
Third-party certification requires more than just the testing and auditing of the fire doors. The design and manufacturing process is also assessed and, as part of this, either ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management System or a Factory Performance Control (FPC) System is also a requirement of the BWF Fire Door Alliance to ensure that standards are consistently maintained.
ISO 9001:2015 or an FPC requires that procedures are put in place to ensure products are made in the correct way with all the correct materials every time. These systems are also audited each year by an UKAS accredited auditor, to check that the procedures are being properly implemented.
Training
All staff involved in the sale of fire doors or components at are required to undertake regular training. The purpose of this training is to ensure staff understand the latest Building Regulations and can offer correct advice to their customers. It’s crucial that customers purchase the correct compatible components for the fire door to ensure it maintains its certification and will achieve its rating in the event of a fire.