30th October 2024
When it comes to passive fire protection, guaranteeing the performance and safety of products specified in a building is paramount. With regulations placing increasing accountability on construction professionals to get installations right, having reliable product data is imperative. Both third-party test data and third-party certification play a significant role in the evaluation process. While they are often discussed together, they serve different purposes and understanding the distinction between the two is crucial for stakeholders in achieving compliance with regulations. In this article, Director of Commercial & Technical George Danzey-Smith explains the key differences between third-party certification and third-party testing data, as well as some things to avoid to achieve best practice.
In an era marked by changing regulations, information has become an increasingly important commodity. The performance of fire-stopping systems relies heavily on their ability to meet stringent safety standards and, in turn, installers to access reliable information about the materials and products they wish to use. This is where the certification of products and publication of test data is critical.
One of the most disturbing findings from the Grenfell Inquiry’s phase two report is the ease at which many manufacturers were able to make unsubstantiated marketing claims about the fire performance of products without proper checks and measures. This is exactly why testing standards exist, placing a legal requirement on manufacturers to prove product performance. What the Grenfell Phase 2 Report attests is that discrepancies remain.
Where safety is concerned and liability at stake, it is absolutely imperative that stakeholders understand the language manufacturers use. Here, there is a subtle but pivotal difference between third-party test data, which refers broadly to the results obtained when a product or system is tested in an independent environment, versus third-party certification, which takes product evaluation a step further by providing ongoing assurances of quality and compliance.
Put simply, testing is a one-time event. An assessment of a given product, on a given day exposed to specific conditions. The results provide manufacturers, specifiers, and regulators with vital information about how the product performs in certain fire scenarios. But it only reflects a product’s performance under the specific conditions tested, and may not represent the full scope of its application, nor how the product will perform after it has been installed, especially if production or material quality changes.
In practice, this has been exploited by some manufacturers, who apply third-party test data obtained in one scenario to all scenarios, giving the false impression that a product is certified in environments it hasn’t actually been tested in. Not only is this misleading, it’s dangerous and could lead to materials being specified as fire safe, in untested environments.
Third-party certification takes a more holistic approach, encompassing not just test data but also regular audits of manufacturing processes, quality control and compliance checks to ensure the product continues to meet standards consistently over time. This ensures manufacturers continue to be held accountable against their claims long after the product is sold, offering complete peace of mind to installers and stakeholders that the product specified is indeed fire safe; it lets all parties know that, if installed correctly, the product should perform as expected.
For construction professionals, safety and assurance must be a priority. Understanding the difference between third-party certification and third-party test data is essential to achieving this. The best option, and the one we recommend to all specifiers of fire stopping products, is to seek third-party certificated products. While test data provides an insight into product performance, certification guarantees performance is consistent, reliable, and compliant with industry standards. In a high stakes environment like fire safety, this assurance can make a lifesaving difference. That should never be scoffed at.
At ARC, we have made it our mission to bring the highest possible standards to our manufacturing processes. All our fire stopping products are independently tested and certified to international IFC standards, and through regular auditing by fire engineers, we are committed to upholding the highest levels of quality control in the industry. What this fosters is trust, which at a time of unprecedented change, is more important than ever.
Third-party certification versus third-party test data is just one example of the jargon surrounding fire testing and it’s easy to see how stakeholders have been mistaken in the past. Through our commitments, we hope others will follow and help us to raise standards across the industry. Only then, can truly fire safe buildings be delivered.
To discuss further and find out how we can support, get in touch with our technical team on 0113 252 9428.
