Third Party Accreditation

Third Party Accreditation for installers is a process whereby the contracting company is seen to employ appropriately trained staff to design and install the required Passive Fire Protection system. Their work is independently audited by site inspections from the 3rd party organisation and a full record system is required as part of the scheme.

Installation Accreditation

The use of such accreditation is recognised in the Building Regulations, Approved Document B (Use of Guidance; Independent certification schemes). The use of accredited installers will reduce the incidence of Passive Fire Protection materials being installed by unskilled or unscrupulous contractors and/or the use of unsuitable materials and reduce essential work and re-work considerably. Upon completion, a Certificate of Conformity is issued to the main contractor for each contract. These autonomous schemes raise the perceived profile of the supply and Installation chain and provide the client with a new level of comfort regarding the quality of the Passive Fire Protection.

Various accreditation schemes are available. The Main Contractor should select an appropriate scheme if the client has not already specified one.

The scheme should include:

• Verification of the skills and training of management, designers and estimators

• Suitable materials to be used in accordance with approved details

• Operatives and supervisors to be trained and certificated

• Random inspection of sites to monitor the quality of work

• Provision of a ‘Certificate of Conformity’ for completed work

• Provision of an audit trail

• UKAS accreditation for the scheme

Approved Document B recognises the benefits in confidence and reliability obtained by the use of Accredited Installers. All Contractor members of FIRAS are Third Party Accredited.

For most effective use of this system the Main Contractor can ask the Passive Fire Protection Contractor to provide a list of names of operatives and supervisors, with copies of their certificates. The overall majority should be certified but a small number in training can be allowed to work under supervision.
It is the combination of a quality conscious and third party accredited manufacturer working in close cooperation with a select group of third party accredited installers that can offer you the best value.
Some of the benefits for Main Contractors of utilising this cooperation are:

• Decreasing liability; liability that comes from poor or incorrect installation and performance of products

• Efficient project management based on the co-operation of a specialised manufacturer and contractor

• Commercially designed effective Fire Protection Solutions

• Third party accredited products used are approved by the Loss Prevention Certification Board. This
approval is an assurance of product and manufacturer quality, it can also have an affect on the building insurance premium. This can therefore reduce the service cost of the building.

• Solutions that have been tested for long term performance.

• Solutions that offer business continuity and protections of premises

• Certificate of conformity of work completed

• Installation work audited by FIRAS on site to ensure compliance with manufacturers recommendations and Building Regulations

• Clear and Comprehensive documentation of installation

• Comprehensive support documentation for product solutions

• Clarity and assistance on the role of Passive Fire measures in modern building construction

Product Accreditation

Third Party Accreditation for products varies according to the terms of individual schemes, but essentially includes verification of the test evidence and scope of application or use of the product, and a regular audit of the factory QA system to ensure that the product as supplied to the contractor is to the same design or formulation as the original test samples.

Always choose a Fire Protection Contractor who use Firestop Systems which have been certified by the Loss Prevention Certification Board. Products are monitored on an ongoing basis so Main Contractors can have absolute confidence in the quality and standard of the product being specified.

It is the combination of a quality conscious and third party accredited manufacturer working in close cooperation with a select group of third party accredited installers that can offer you the best value.