HARDWARE & SECURITY
CODELOCKS STRESS THE WIDE-RANGING IMPACTS OF FIRE DOOR REGULATIONS ON UK BUSINESSES
» NEWBURY-BASED LOCK manufacturer , Codelocks was visited by Laura Farris , Newbury MP , last week to discuss the critical implications of proposed changes to fire door testing requirements for UK businesses .
The proposed changes from the Department for Levelling Up , Housing & Communities ( DLUHC ) will see a move away from testing to the British Standard BS47622 in favour of testing solely to the European Standard EN1634-1 . The change is expected to have negative consequences for UK businesses . According to the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers ( GAI ), which represents lock and hardware manufacturers within the UK , the proposed changes could incur multi-million-pound costs for UK firms , cause potential job losses and remove product choice , all without delivering any meaningful life safety benefits .
During her visit , Laura Farris toured the Codelocks facilities , learned about its digital lock solutions , and heard about the impacts that the proposed changes would have on its UK employees and the wider business .
Colin Campbell , Managing Director at Codelocks commented on the issue : “ If the proposal goes ahead , then many organisations , including our own , will be unable to specify or sell a significant portion of our products without huge investment in re-testing products that are already approved . The consequences for independent hardware businesses in the UK will be significant , affecting the livelihoods of employees in Newbury and other communities across the UK . It may seem like a technical issue , but without raising awareness before it ’ s too late , there could be significant delays to projects and increased costs for UK businesses . Laura Farris ’ s visit was important and it ’ s great to see the government taking time to listen to industry experts on the matter . We ’ re hopeful that together we can raise further awareness of this pressing issue .”
Douglas Masterson , Technical Manager at the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers , illustrated the scale of the costs , saying : “ We are trying to protect the interests of UK businesses against a significant industry change . The typical cost of the new fire test is about £ 11,000 , with many members having to do substantial amounts of retesting , for example we have one member with 600 affected products . Test times are estimated to be at least six months with a further six months to receive the test reports . It ’ s clear to see how quickly those costs would add up for independent UK firms while also causing massive delays and disruption . Whilst large global manufacturers can afford these re-testing costs , the knock-on effect could be large swathes of business leaving the UK .”
The consultation on the proposed changes has gathered over 270 responses so far , and the government will carry out an impact assessment ahead of
any changes to the law . The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers ( GAI ) has claimed there is no evidence to suggest that this change will make fire doors any safer . It could also introduce the risk of value-engineering and reduced specification for fire doors , effectively making them less safe as a consequence .
“ There is broad consensus that the British Standard BS47622 is fit for purpose ,” said Colin Campbell . Adding : “ Many believe the introduction of a mandatory standard or training for fire door installation and maintenance will better address any safety issues .”
Research from the Fire Door Inspection Scheme ( FDIS ) indicates that 75 % of fire doors fail to meet the required standards . The top three reasons for failure are fitting , sealing , and maintenance and repair .
Laura Farris MP said of the visit : “ There are many thriving companies in my constituency , and it was a privilege to visit Codelocks and learn about its business . I have heard the potential impacts of the changes to fire door safety regulations and their importance . I will help them to raise awareness of this issue as I do with the many local businesses that I represent .”
www . codelocks . co . uk
16
MARCH 2024
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