Third-party certification is being increasingly written into specifications, leading to a surge in demand for BM TRADA Certification’s Q-Mark fire door installer scheme.
BM TRADA Certification client BJ Belshaw, a Tewkesbury carpenter and joiner, said customers appeared to be paying more attention to a recommendation to use third-party certification in Part B of the Building Regulations.
The company is about to start work on a major fire door installation project for Defence Estates at the Imjin Barracks HQ near Gloucester, where third-party certification was a condition.
“If you look back, third-party specification is rarely mentioned, but it has suddenly started to appear in specifications, particularly for schools, hospitals and other public buildings,” added Glen Withers of T&G Carpentry.
Project Support Services also suggested the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order was another driver, since it had led to more prosecutions. Owners, tenants and landlords were more aware than they used to be, it added, while architects are looking for the reassurance that third-party certification can give.
Under BM TRADA Certification’s Q-Mark scheme, the registered installer’s work is audited on site twice a year.
