CERTIFICATION SERVICES
OVERVIEW
CERTIFIRE
In a world of increasing regulation and competition there are many reasons to seek certification which in many sectors is a requirement to trade. It provides external verification that the processes you have in place enable you to operate to international best practice standards. Whatever your industry, your company needs the trust and confidence of customers and stakeholders. Measuring your activities against recognized standards tells them that you value consistency, quality, continual improvement and customer satisfaction. The fundamental benefit of certification is seated in giving the regulator, specifier, customer and end-user confidence with regards to the stated performance of the product and provides an informed choice when purchasing or selecting the product. Warringtonfire is a UKAS accredited certification body and choosing us as your certification partner means you are working with a leading accredited certification body whose name is readily accepted by regulators, specifiers, purchasers and suppliers around the world. PRODUCT CERTIFICATION-MANUFACTURERS In today’s market, certification can often be a passport to trade with specifiers wanting greater confidence that the products they choose will continue to perform throughout the product life cycle and wanting evidence to come from a reliable independent source.
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Warringtonfire offers UKAS accredited certification schemes for products and personnel. Certifire is an independent third-party certification scheme that assures performance, quality, reliability and traceability of products and systems.
The Certifire brand is recognized by regulatory authorities worldwide as an international mark of fire safety across a diverse range of products including hardware. Certifire is suitable for manufacturers of fire protection products and systems, as Certifire offers the opportunity to differentiate products and processes from noncertified equivalents thus helping to access markets worldwide. The scheme can also be used by architects, specifiers, contractors and building owners, as Certifire provides assurance that fire protection products and systems correctly installed will perform as required. Therefore, avoiding costly mistakes and dramatically reducing risk. Choosing a product that carries the mark of a reputable third-party certification body gives assurance as to the performance of the products. Using certified products, correctly installed, provides a powerful demonstration that due diligence’s have been served. The online Certifire register lists all our certified products and systems.
UKCA MARKING Warringtonfire is able to offer UKCA marking product certification and related testing, to organizations placing products onto the UK market (including existing and new customers).
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CERTIFICATION SERVICES
CERTISECURE
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CERTIFICATION OF INSTALLERS AND MAINTAINERS Certisecure is a scheme for manufacturers and suppliers and offers end users confidence in a product’s performance to deliver property protection and public safety. In the UK, Certisecure supports the police-sponsored Secured by Design initiative.
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The security performance of hardware items such as locks, cylinders, handles, indeed the complete doorset and window units themselves, help to protect property and people effectively from burglary. Increasingly, specifiers and end users are concerned that doors and windows can easily be opened by burglars. Manufacturers are striving to improve the security of doorsets and windows to combat this concern. EWCL5 – CERTIFICATION
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The EWCL5 scheme ensures that products tested and assessed are manufactured on a consistent basis and are traceable once supplied to site. The scheme is available for a range of passive fire protection products.
The EWCL5 scheme requires manufacturers to produce products/systems to a successfully tested construction, the manufacture of which is regularly audited to ensure consistency of production. The records of manufacture are kept, and these are related to labels for each product available solely from Warringtonfire. Each label carries a unique number which is referenced back to the manufactured product enabling full traceability from the site back to the manufacturer’s records. The scope of the certification is based upon the tested and assessed construction and enables the specifier or enforcement authority to check the suitability of a product for the intended end-use application.
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For complex and high performance products the ability to continue to perform throughout their service life is critical. So, the competency of those installing, repairing or maintaining the product is as important as the quality of the manufactured product itself. FIRAS – PASSIVE AND ACTIVE FIRE PROTECTION INSTALLATION
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Warringtonfire’s FIRAS scheme is for installers has been instrumental in improving the installation and maintenance standards of passive and active fire protection products and systems.
FIRAS is the mark of endorsement of competency in the installation of products and systems, vital for achieving the protection required. FIRAS is a voluntary, third party certification scheme for installation contractors of both passive and active fire protection systems, operated by Warringtonfire and accredited by UKAS to BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012. All FIRAS site inspectors and sprinkler engineers have technical and practical knowledge and experience in fire protection. Certification requirements have been developed with relevant UK trade associations. FIRAS certified contractors are subject to an annual audit of their offices and ongoing, random surveillance site inspections where competence and workmanship are assessed. Contractors certified under the scheme for installers of residential and domestic sprinklers have system designs randomly checked to appropriate standards in addition to site inspections.
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FIRAS certified contractors are required to log ‘contracts in hand’ on the FIRAS online database. A ‘Certificate of Conformity (Compliance)’ for the completed works is issued from the FIRAS online database. FIRAS certification is awarded to the contracting company not the individual employees. Should a contractor wish to increase their scope of certification, a separate application must be made to attain the additional certification. FIRE RISK ASSESSORS CERTIFICATION SCHEME (FRACS)
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Warringtonfire offers UKAS accredited certification for fire risk assessors and it certifies the competence of individuals and companies carrying out fire risk assessments.
UK fire safety legislation requires that all buildings used in commercial or similar type activities, but not those that are solely domestic, are required to carry out a fire risk assessment for the purpose of life safety protection and keep the fire risk assessment up to date. It is the responsibility of a designated ‘responsible person or duty holder’ to ensure that a fire risk assessment has been completed and that it is suitable and sufficient for the purpose of protecting the life safety of those relevant persons in or around the building.
The assessment procedure for certification not only examines the competence of the employees but it also assesses the quality management systems and procedures operated by the company. Thus, assuring high standards of service and competence can be delivered by the certified company to their clients. FRACS certified fire risk assessors are all listed on Warringtonfire register of competent fire risk assessors; a valuable reference for the ‘responsible person/duty holder’, who needs to commission a fire risk assessment. WHEELMARK (MARINE CERTIFICATION) Warringtonfire provides the necessary certification to prove compliance for fire protection products used on board vessels registered in Europe and USA. Regardless of whether the requirement is Wheelmark Approval, United States Coast Guard Approval, EWC can help you bring your product to market. No testing should be undertaken before fully understanding the certification requirements for your product. To find out more, please contact us and one of our experts will guide you through the process.
Normally the responsible person/duty holder will not be an expert in fire safety, and he/she may wish to appoint a ‘competent person’ to undertake this assessment. FRACS Individuals scheme FRACS has been designed to provide a ‘technical reference’ for the risk assessor; using the international standard for bodies operating certification of persons; BS EN ISO/IEC 17024:2012. FRACS provides a standardized and nationally recognized certificate of competence. Fire risk assessors who have completed the comprehensive technical evaluation successfully and achieved certification are considered ‘competent’ to produce risk assessments that are ‘suitable and sufficient’ for the purposes of the relevant UK fire safety legislation. FRACS Company scheme FRACS Company is a quality assurance scheme aimed at companies who offer fire risk assessment services; who wish to differentiate themselves from competitors through an independent certification scheme.
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CERTIFICATION SERVICES ABOUT WARRINGTONFIRE Warringtonfire, part of the Element Group, specializes in providing a comprehensive range of independent fire testing, assessment, engineering and certification services to international markets from a network of accredited sites across the globe including Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. We exist to help our customers to make certain that the materials, products and systems that they make are safe, quality, compliant and ultimately fit for purpose, leveraging our 40 years of testing experience and our global testing capabilities. FOR SALES INFORMATION Please contact T: +44 (0)1925 655 116 info.warrington@warringtonfire.com
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