Pro Installer October 2014 - Issue 19 | Page 34

34 OCTOBER 2014 PRO INSTALLER PRO REGS www.proinstaller.co.uk New CE requirements for fire doors – are you compliant? John Warburton, recently appointed to the role of Sector Manager for Windows and Doors Certification at BRE Global takes a brief look at the new requirements for CE marking for fire door sets which covers fire resistance and smoke control characteristics and soon becomes mandatory All those involved in the manufacture and installation of fire door sets will be directly affected by the publication of EN 16034, the harmonised European standard that has passed the formal voting procedure and will be made mandatory in the coming months. Since July 2013, all door sets must be CE marked with manufacturers publishing a declaration of performance (DOP) under the hEN 14351 standard. This covers over 20 characteristics, but manufacturers need only declare values for those required by building regulations for the country in which they are to be installed. As most door sets manufactured in the UK are installed in the UK, there are only a few of the characteristics that are essential. These are thermal performance, dangerous substances, safety devices and ability to release in the case of emergency exit devices. As soon as there is a legal requirement to CE mark fire door sets to EN 16034 which covers fire resistance and smoke control characteristics, manufacturers will be required by regulation (Construction Products Regulation (CPR)) to CE mark their products to the performance characteristics in hEN 14351 and EN 16034 and publish two DOPs to cover both sets of performance characteristics. As an installer of door sets, it is vital that the products selected for an installation meet the current regulations and evidence can be provided to support claims of compliance. Doors without the correct CE marking and declarations of performance will not be in conformity with the legal requirements of the CPR and will become a matter for investigation and prosecution by Trading Standards and are also likely to require replacement with products that do conform to the requirements. BRE can help you with your CE marking requirements – we are a notified body under the CPR for doors, windows and a range of building related products and have been for many years. For manufacturers who want to demonstrate product performance that goes beyond the minimum levels of the CE mark, in particular for geographical territories outside of the European Union, BRE Global can also offer LPCB independent third party certification. LPCB has been working with industry and insurers for over a 100 years to set the standards necessary to ensure that fire and security products and services work effectively and deliver consistent fire performance as required. In that time the LPCB Mark has become an internationally recognised certification mark of trust and value. Under the LPCB brand, BRE Global offers i