Industry News
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 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 the range
of compliant products, visit
www.assaabloyopeningsolutions.co.uk
18
JAN/FEB 2020
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