Clearview National April 2020 - Issue 221 | Page 66

HARDWAREEXTRA
ASSA ABLOY advises industry and
professionals on fire safety liability
ASSA ABLOY Opening
Solutions UK & Ireland
is advising fire safety
professionals on the
importance of properly
certified hardware and
training, following warnings
from experts in fire safety
law that they may now
be deemed responsible
for any breaches.
» LIABILITY FOR FIRE SAFETY
breaches is being increasingly pushed down from
building owners and occupiers to those that
have been consulted, assessed and advised on the
appropriate fire safety solutions for a site. Should
these products fail to perform as expected, then
those professionals will be held accountable, and
could potentially even be prosecuted.
ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK
& Ireland believes that this issue will be a
real game changer for the industry, with
architectural ironmongers, merchants, and
safety and security consultants all set to be
deemed responsible.
Only recently, a representative from leading
law firm Russell Cooke LLP cited a growing
trend for building owners to hold suppliers
responsible for a lack of suitable fire risk
assessments and the use of inappropriate
materials and products. In 2014 – for the
first time ever – a risk assessor went to prison
for nine months for a breach of health and
safety rules. It is clear that accountability
surrounding fire safety will fall to the supply
chain more and more in the future.
David Hindle, Head of Door Control Sales
at ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK
& Ireland, explains: “We believe this issue
will increasingly affect the entire industry.
From architectural ironmongers that might
be selling product with little or questionable
certification, to merchants providing hardware
that might not be fit for purpose, and
consultants that are potentially not carrying
66 » A PR 2020 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
out the right risk assessments for clients, the
liability for fire safety in buildings will fall to
professionals in the industry. After all, they
should be the experts on this matter.
“It is therefore vital that all of these
groups have the right accreditation in place
to meet these demands. Relevant schemes
include Warrington Certification’s FIRAS
Installer Certification, BM TRADA’s Q-Mark
Fire Door Installation and the Guild of
Architectural Ironmongery’s diploma. It is also
vital that architectural ironmongers, merchants
and consultants have a comprehensive
understanding of the legislation covering
fire safety matters in and around buildings,
such as Approved Document B, BS EN
1634 and BS 476. Only by combining this
specialist industry knowledge with recognised
accreditation can professionals advise on and
specify the best fire safety products.
“At ASSA ABLOY, all our products
are tested and certified to the appropriate
fire safety standards, and we are taking
increasing steps to ensure that those
throughout the supply chain can feel
confident that they have put forward a
compliant solution.
“We predict that we will be seeing many
more instances where professionals will be
held accountable for any breaches around
fire safety. As a result, it is critical that
those throughout the supply chain ensure
products are certified, and they have the
correct training and qualifications to be able
to advise customers on the most appropriate
fire safety solutions.”
For more information on our range
of compliant products, visit
www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk