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Mike Vaczi, our Technical Director outlines the importance of product testing and third-party certification, key points of best practice and what the future of certifications looks like.
Clear and reliable product information has never been more important. The Grenfell tragedy has forever changed the landscape of the industry in terms of fire safety and the increasingly urgent need to tackle climate change has sharpened the focus on sustainability. At the heart of ensuring the quality and accuracy of performance and safety information is robust testing and certification.
The Hackitt Review and its Impact on Testing Standards
Among the key findings of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, known as the Hackitt Review, was that there was a fundamental weakness in product testing and certification. It found that many products and systems were not properly tested and as a result, inappropriate or unsafe materials were being used on buildings. While a significant improvement has been made, the information provided by different manufacturers still varies considerably.
Why Product Testing and Certification is Essential
While it may sound obvious, it is essential that products are tested on a wide range of factors, including safety, reaction to fire, performance, durability and sustainability. It is also fundamental that these tests are carried out in line with the appropriate recognised standard and the test data is certified by a recognised assessment body, such as the British Board of Agrément (BBA). The importance of independent testing and certification is increasingly recognised by specifiers, as highlighted by recently published research carried out by Architects’ Datafile. The survey of architects published in The Changing Face of Product Certifications, showed that 84% of respondents said that third-party test data for both safety and performance was essential for certifications to be truly credible.
However, there is no one framework for what robust testing looks like. When it comes to roofing, façade and insulation products, one of the most important elements is ensuring that products undergo testing as a system, with all the components installed as they will be on a building. This allows the true fire performance to be established, as the interaction of different materials will influence the penetration and spread of flame. It is also essential that this testing is carried out by an independent provider so customers can have confidence in the results.
Similarly, it is essential that the tested system is identical to the one installed on the building. Any changes in the build-up, such as a different substrate or thickness of insulation, can alter how the system performs in the event of a fire. Where systems are tested and certified, it is often the case that it has been tested in a limited number of configurations. For projects where the tested system does not match the specified one, it is up to building control officers to make a judgement about the compliance with building regulations. This is far from ideal and can leave a significant amount of ambiguity for clients around the real-world safety of the building.
At SOPREMA we have worked to take this uncertainty out of the process by investing significant time and capital in third-party testing all of our products within the appropriate system. We are also committed to testing as many different variations and permutations of the system as possible. Currently we have over 300 system variations tested and passed to BroofT4, the highest classification of fire performance. This independent test data has also been certified by the BBA, so specifiers can have confidence in the information provided.
The Future of Certification
The level of product testing that we have carried out, especially for fire safety, is currently far above what is strictly required by manufacturers. However, we believe that this is where the industry is going. It seems likely that more rigorous testing will be required in the future, either as a result of further tightening of regulations or due to demands from specifiers and clients.
There is already evidence that industry opinion is moving in that direction. The Architects’ Datafile research also revealed strong support for more stringent requirements, with 88% of respondents saying they believe testing and certification of product systems should be made a requirement. In addition, the Golden Thread of Information requirements introduced through the Building Safety Act, sets out key principles for the information held for the building. The first of these is that it should be ‘accurate and trusted’. It is clear that only through testing and certification of building products can we ensure that the golden thread for each building is built on reliable data.
Sustainability is another area where certification and the accuracy of information looks set to become increasingly important. Beyond environmental protection regulations, such as compliance with REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals), there are very few mandatory or standardised measures of sustainability. Greenwashing – the use of misleading claims or information in an attempt to demonstrate sustainability – is a difficult issue for the industry. At SOPREMA, we have created Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) for a wide range of our products, detailing the environmental impact of the products from cradle to gate. The information in EPDs helps specifiers to make informed decisions and in the coming years, in the absence of a new sustainability measure, will likely be something that is required for all products.
The increased scrutiny on building product information, particularly in the wake of the Hackitt Review and the Building Safety Act, has meant that accurate, complete and certified data is essential. It is valuable to work with leading manufacturers, such as SOPREMA, that go beyond what is required in terms of testing and certification to ensure full compliance with building regulations.
Contact us today to explore our fully tested and certified building solutions.
For more information on The Evolving Landscape of Product Certifications talk to SOPREMA UK