TECHNICAL SCHEDULE TS00 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION OF FIRE PROTECTION PRODUCTS

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1 TECHNICAL SCHEDULE TS00 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION OF FIRE PROTECTION PRODUCTS Page 1 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

2 CONTENTS ISSUE STATUS AND AMENDMENTS Page 3 FOREWORD Page 5 1 SCOPE Page 5 2 REFERENCES Page 9 3 DEFINITIONS Page 10 4 SCHEME TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS Page 12 5 APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATION Page 24 6 SCHEME REGULATIONS Page 25 ANNEX A Conditions for the use of the CERTIFIRE Certification Mark / Logo Page 33 ANNEX B CERTIFIRE Scheme Fee Structure Page 36 ANNEX C Participating Organisations Page 38 Page 2 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

3 ISSUE STATUS AND AMENDMENT i. This is a controlled copy of the. Scheme members to which it has been issued will be provided with details of any changes in accordance with the amendment procedure below. ii. iii. iv. From here on in, references to will be shown as. Each page of the document is identified by a page number, issue number and date. Where an amendment is made, the revised page will bear a new issue number and date of amendment. Where an amendment requires an extra page to be inserted, this is numbered with the number of the preceding page but with the addition of a letter suffix, e.g. 10A will be inserted between pages 10 and 11 and 10B will follow 10A. The new pages are dated in the normal way. v. Any amendment to this document will be identified on the Amendment Page, which will be re-issued to holders of controlled copies with the amended sections/pages. Revised pages shall be inserted in place of existing pages or between existing pages and superseded pages shall be discarded. Where a significant number of amendments are made to this document the entire document will be re-issued under a new issue number. In such cases holders of the document shall destroy the previous issue. vi. vii. The Amendment Page and the relevant revised pages will be produced by Warrington Certification following agreement with the Sector Liaison Group, and issued to the holders of each controlled copy of the document, together with an acknowledgment slip (document transmittal) which shall be signed and returned to to confirm that the document has been amended. It shall be the responsibility of the nominated representative of the organisation to ensure that the document is maintained in an up to date condition at all times. To ensure that a permanent record is available of all amendments, Warrington Certification maintains a file of all superseded pages which are marked with the date of withdrawal. The record is held on file indefinitely in order to allow to determine the past requirements of the scheme at any time. Page 3 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

4 AMENDMENT PAGE To ensure that each controlled copy of the CERTIFIRE Certification Scheme Requirements contains a complete record of amendments, the Amendment Page is updated and issued with each set of revised/new pages of the document. Details of the procedures for amending this document are given in section 1 of this document. Amendment Discard Insert No Date *Sections Changed Page(s) Issue no Page(s) Issue no All Issue 5 of Rules for Certification of Fire Protection Products and Issue 1 of TS 00 / Gen are both replaced by this Requirements document Sections 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.4, 3.7, 3.10, 3.11, 4.3.5, 4.3.6, 4.4.4, 4.4.6, 4.4.8, 4.5.3, 4.7, , 4.8.4, 4.8.5, , , , 4.13, Annex 1 items 5 & 6 either changed or added as new sections from previous issue. Detail of acceptability of non ISO 9001 QMS incorporated into section 4.7 /expanded section on appeals panel in Sections 6.13/6.14 Ref. to Complaints & Appeals Procedure added 2014 fee schedule Updated logo s All- Updated to new format, also to include references to BS EN ISO/IEC and ISO Management Council renamed to Impartiality Committee All- Updated to new format, also to include references to BS EN ISO/IEC and ISO Management Council renamed to Impartiality Committee Name change from WCL to Exova (UK) Limited trading as Warrington Certification All 5 (Rules) & 1 (TS00/ Gen) All 2 All 2 All N/A N/A N/A 6 All 6 All 7 Page 4 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

5 TECHNICAL SCHEDULE (TS 00) GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION OF FIRE PROTECTION PRODUCTS 1. FOREWORD/SCOPE These requirements relate to the CERTIFIRE scheme for the independent certification of fire protection products and they form part of any and all agreements entered into with any party for the purposes of the scheme. The CERTIFIRE Scheme is an independent third party certification scheme for fire protection products, principally but not exclusively related to the construction industry. The scheme is devised / operated by and is also operated by Exova Certification & Inspection (ECI) in Dubai in accordance with the requirements of BS/EN for product certification bodies. The CERTIFIRE Scheme is based on the System 5 requirements identified in BS EN ISO/IEC Conformity assessment Fundamentals of product certification. All bona fide companies who manufacture / modify / supply fire protection products which are within the scope of these requirements may apply for certification. In order to achieve product certification in accordance with these requirements a company shall demonstrate that the product satisfies the specific technical requirements identified in the applicable (TS) and the company can demonstrate compliance with general certification requirements set out in this document. s (TS) are the technical specifications against which products are assessed / tested. They are based on British, European or other relevant national or international standards to meet the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the product will be used. Page 5 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

6 The main features of the scheme are: Any product submitted for certification shall be assessed / tested in accordance with the specific requirements detailed in the applicable TS. Testing shall be conducted at a laboratory recognised by. Such recognition will generally be based on the laboratory holding accreditation, for the relevant tests, to ISO/IEC by a National Accreditation Body. European laboratories shall be accredited by a body that is a signatory to the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) Multilateral Agreement (MLA) for ISO/IEC Laboratories outside Europe shall be accredited for the relevant tests by a body that is a signatory to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Multilateral Agreement (MLA) or similar. In addition, for classification against the European system, the test laboratory shall be Notified within the meaning of the Construction Products Directive. The above criteria shall apply to all ITT fire tests but by agreement with Warrington Certification some other, (audit test procedures, scope extension or non-critical) testing may be able to be conducted at other facilities including the manufacturer s premises subject to having been satisfied that corroborative testing proves the capability of the manufacturer s test facilities. Notwithstanding the above criteria, reserves the right to refuse recognition of any laboratory. Manufacture of the product shall be controlled in accordance with factory production control (FPC) requirements as identified in the applicable TS. Periodic audit test / examination shall be conducted on typical production samples of the product for which certification is held. Such testing / examination shall be conducted in accordance with the specific requirements identified in the applicable TS and conducted in accordance with the stated frequency for such. The applicant company (to be named on the CERTIFIRE certificate) and manufacturer if different from the applicant, shall operate a quality management system based on the requirements of ISO 9001 incorporating Factory Production Control procedures / routines to verify traceability and conformity of product manufacture, as detailed in section 4.6 of this document. The certificated product shall be marked / labelled / identified as specifically identified by the applicable TS to facilitate traceability. Initial audit of FPC procedures / controls and verification of implementation of the ISO 9001 based quality management system will be followed by surveillance visits at an applicable frequency as detailed in section 4.6 of this document for all CERTIFIRE Certificated companies. Page 6 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

7 1.1 Having demonstrated compliance with the scheme requirements set out in this document, manufacturers will be awarded certification for the products and will be added to the CERTIFIRE Register. Please note that various industry sectors covered by the CERTIFIRE Scheme may require additional criteria to be satisfied, these are detailed in the various Annex s of this document. 1.2 Companies supplying products not manufactured by themselves may, with the manufacturers permission, apply for certification in their own name ( Own Brand ) provided the products meet the above criteria and provided that the applicant company and the manufacturer operates a quality management system based on the requirements of ISO 9001 incorporating Factory Production Control procedures / routines to verify traceability and conformity of product manufacture for its activities relating to the products. The company supplying such products shall maintain adequate documentation governing the arrangements between the company and the manufacturer of the products. 1.3 A list of current product areas and their associated s and other CERTIFIRE related documents are published separately. Any revisions to these documents shall be notified to holders of controlled copies who shall be required to demonstrate continuing compliance within the timescale identified at the time of the document s issue. 1.4 Liaison between and the industry will be effected through appropriate Sector Liaison Panels (UK / EU Requirement). The general terms of reference of these groups will be: To continually develop and update the scheme To co-ordinate the views of industry To promote the scheme and its benefits to industry 1.5 The fee structure for this scheme is available on request from. 1.6 The version of these requirements used by the company holding CERTIFIRE Certification shall be the version current at the time. All certificated companies shall be advised by in writing of any amendments and the applicable dates. Page 7 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

8 Process to CERTIFIRE Certification Figure 1 Application made to Submit existing fire test evidence + non-fire test data (as applicable) + Quality System / FPC documents to Assessment carried out by / ECI on test data provided (Fire and Nonfire) / ECI discusses test data provided with Applicant FPC Audit undertaken by at factory where product is manufactured Corrective action carried out by applicant if required Product Sampled by Initial Type Testing conducted (Fire and Non-fire) as required by Completion of scope of approval and draft certificate issued to applicant by Warrington Certification Applicant reviews draft certificate and identifies changes as applicable to Warrington Certification Final certificate issued by with associated documentation to Applicant On-going Requirements Audit testing / inspection procedures as detailed in applicable, 6 or 12 monthly Surveillance Audit of FPC (frequency as detailed in section 4.6) Review of Certification on 5 yearly basis Page 8 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

9 2. REFERENCES BS EN ISO/IEC BS EN ISO/IEC BS EN BS 476: Part 20 ISO/IEC ISO 9001 General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems Conformity assessment. Fundamentals of product certification Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Fire tests on building materials and structures. Method for determination of the fire resistance of elements of construction (general principles) General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories Quality management systems Requirements Page 9 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

10 3. DEFINITIONS The Scheme: The CERTIFIRE Scheme covering the certification of fire protection products and systems as described in these requirements. Applicant: The organisation (company, partnership, sole trader etc) that is seeking certification within the scheme. Manufacturer: The organisation (company, partnership, sole trader etc) who is responsible for the actual manufacture of the product for which certification is sought. Supplier: The organisation (company, partnership, sole trader etc.) who places the certificated product on the market. The supplier may be the manufacturer or alternatively may be another organisation who has sought to certificate a proven product in their own name with the agreement and support of the actual manufacturer. In cases where the supplier is not the manufacturer, the supplier is totally responsible for the control of product conformity and traceability for those certificated products which are placed in the market under the supplier s name. Fire Test Evidence: Fire test(s) conducted at an accredited laboratory (ITT tests) to establish the performance of the product or system. Assessment: The evaluation of the performance and other data against the requirements of this document and applicable specific s. Independent Fire Performance Assessment: An evaluation of a product or system specification provided in accordance with the Passive Fire Protection Federation (PFPF) (Guide to undertaking Assessments In Lieu of Fire Test) or other similar document for the relevant jurisdiction. Also the evaluation, in accordance with the PFPF Guide or similar and also the assessment principles laid out in any relevant CERTIFIRE, of proposed changes to the tested specimen(s) which will establish that such modifications can, with a reasonable degree of Page 10 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

11 certainty be considered to give a fire resistance performance equivalent to that required by the Technical Standard, when installed. Converter / Modifier: An organisation (company, partnership, sole trader etc.) who take a CERTIFIRE certificated product and modifies it within strict guidelines set out by the manufacturer (for example an aperture and frame company who take a certified door leaf and install a vision panel into the door leaf in strict accordance with the manufacturer s test evidence). Such an organisation can hold CERTIFIRE certification for modifying door leaves of specified manufacture with the agreement of the manufacturer. Sector Liaison Panel (UK / EU Requirement): A group made up of industry representatives (certificated manufacturers / suppliers), trade association representatives (related to the particular business sector and territory) and staff, (see section 2.9 for general terms of reference of such groups). Pre-Production Prototype : A product offered for certification by a manufacturer / supplier which is not manufactured under normal production processes but has been manufactured as a sample of a product intended to be mass manufactured subject to satisfactory ITT test results and a perceived market need for the product. ITT: Fire tests (and any other form of testing such as mechanical testing applicable to the particular product as identified in the specific technical schedule) performed on products or materials which have been independently sampled from production or stock and can be linked to an FPC Audit to confirm traceability and conformity of manufacture. Page 11 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

12 4. SCHEME TECHNICAL REQUIRMENTS 4.1 General In order for certification in accordance with this scheme to be considered, the applicant organisation seeking certification for their product(s) shall comply with the following requirements: The applicant shall liaise with in order to generate suitable fire test evidence as is required by the relevant TS applicable to the product(s) for which certification is sought The applicant shall provide suitable non-fire test evidence which may be required by the TS, (such as mechanical / functional performance dependent upon the applicable product for which certification is sought), unless already identified as part of ITT requirements for the product The applicant shall provide clear installation instructions as to how the product(s) should be used in service The applicant shall demonstrate the ability to provide a technical support to the product(s) for which certification is sought as appropriate to the product s purpose and method of use in service during FPC Audit of the applicant s company The applicant shall disclose the location of manufacture of the product(s) and declare whether the products are manufactured by the applicant or by a third party The applicant shall provide evidence of the ISO 9001 based quality management system incorporating Factory Production Control procedures / routines as operated in the manufacturing facility where the products are manufactured / supplied from. If the applicant holds ISO 9001 certification issued by a provider who holds UKAS (or other national) accreditation, this should be provided to. The scope of any such ISO 9001 certification must address control on manufacture of the product(s) for which CERTIFIRE certification is sought. An applicant s lack of independently awarded ISO 9001 certification shall not in itself prevent an applicant from achieving CERTIFIRE Certification provided the applicant can comply with the requirements set out in section 4.6 of this document. 4.2 Classification (Fire Test Data) CERTIFIRE certification is based on BS 476: Part 20 series tests or EN or other relevant technical standard, resulting in different classifications. The individual product specific TS will differentiate between the two systems. It is important that manufacturers understand the differences between the two systems and generate the appropriate test data in support of the approval. Page 12 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

13 4.2.2 For certification to satisfy classifications based upon BS 476 series, tests shall normally be conducted in accordance with British Standards referenced in the appropriate TS Tests conducted in accordance with European Standards may also be used to support certification to satisfy UK classifications. This evidence will be used directly to provide a classification. The results will not be translated into times to failure under a British Standard test For a European classification all test data shall be conducted in accordance with the relevant harmonised European Standards. For products for which the product standards have not yet been published manufacturers may generate test data to the draft standards but the full requirements to satisfy all the Essential Requirements under the Construction Products Directive (CPD) may not yet be established. In such cases it may not be possible to provide a European classification. 4.3 Review of Submitted Documents / Sampling of Products for ITT testing Applications for certification will only be considered when formally requested by completion and submission of the application form EWC-QU-FT-68 with the application fee. The data provided by the applicant manufacturer shall be subject to assessment by a Certification Engineer in order to verify that the evidence provided complies with that required to satisfy the technical requirements of the applicable TS against which certification is sought Compliance with the applicable TS will be determined by an assessment of documentation submitted. The Certification Engineer will determine the limits of applicability of such data submitted. From this assessment the Certification Engineer will identify any additional testing required Depending upon the scope of certification sought (whether a single product or a range of products of differing sizes / configurations) the Certification Engineer may discuss additional testing requirements with the applicant in order for the product(s) test evidence to comply with the specific initial type testing requirements of the applicable TS will be informed by the applicant in advance of any test being conducted which is to be used for certification purposes When Initial Type Tests are conducted, the products will be sampled directly from the production line or alternatively from either the manufacturer s / supplier s stock or from a stockist within the market. Products sampled from stock shall only be accepted where documented evidence provided by the applicant s FPC procedures can confirm the manufacturing details and traceability of the manufactured product in stock to the satisfaction of the Warrington Certification representative. Page 13 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

14 Preferably the products will be sampled directly from the production line by Warrington Certification or its appointed independent agent (independent of the manufacturer) who shall witness the manufacture of the actual samples (where possible) and the manufacturer will provide the internal factory production control (FPC) data for the batch to be tested i.e. the tested product must be traceable back to its manufacture. Preproduction sample products may also be subject of this type of sampling where normal production processes are used for manufacturing. Sampling of pre-production prototypes Where the ITT samples are pre-production prototypes which are not produced using normal production processes (ie. R & D laboratory or toolroom produced), and supplied by the applicant these must be provided with full traceability as to material specification used in the manufacture of the pre-production items. Subject to satisfactory ITT test results, no CERTIFIRE Certification shall be issued until the product is in full production and is readily available in the market. Note: At this time the manufacturer / supplier shall be subject of an FPC visit by Warrington Certification. Provided the FPC visit proves satisfactory and are able to verify compliance of production materials with those specified as used in preproduction items, CERTIFIRE certification shall be issued. At an agreed period of time after CERTIFIRE certification is granted, the certificated product shall be sampled from the market and shall be subject of a repeat of the original ITT test programme at the cost of the applicant to verify production processes have not affected the prototype product s performance. Unsatisfactory repeat ITT testing results or failure to comply with this requirement will result in the granted CERTIFIRE certificate for the product being suspended until compliance Where sampling is undertaken at the production line of a pre-production sample, unless the formal QMS / FPC system assessment audit (inspection) is actually conducted at the same time of the sampling process, the representative shall undertake a rudimentary FPC inspection related only to the actual product samples in order to verify that the FPC procedures are effective and do address the critical elements of product s fire resistance and any other critical properties. Page 14 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

15 4.4 Test Evidence Requirements Sufficient fire test evidence shall be submitted to cover each application for certification in accordance with the applicable TS and as determined by the Certification Engineer There is normally no prescribed fire resistance test programme to be conducted in order to gain certification. For certification covering a wide field of application it will be necessary to test with each specific application required. Where it is possible to extrapolate from one application to another, this will be stated within the assessment principles given in the product specific TS Where separating elements are required to be fire resisting from both sides, normally two specimens shall be tested (one from each direction) unless the element is fully symmetrical Samples of production products for test shall be sampled by or its appointed agent and an initial factory production control inspection shall be conducted by or its appointed agent. Samples for test may be selected during the initial factory production control inspection (see sections and 4.6 of this document). Pre-production prototype items for test (see sections and 4.6 of this document) Tests shall be carried out at a laboratory recognised by Historic test data (ie fire test data produced prior to the application for certification) may be accepted for certification purposes solely at the discretion of. Acceptance by of such historic data will, inter alia, take into account: How the product was initially sampled from production / stock or was it a preproduction item How the factory production control inspection was carried out The laboratory used The validity date of the test report In accepting historic data may require confirmatory testing to be carried out The audit test regime shall be determined/dictated by the product specific TS, the Certification Engineer shall take account of product range variation covered by certification when confirming audit test programme with the certificate holder A claim of No Performance Determined (NPD) for fire resistance characteristics is not possible related to CERTIFIRE certification of a product with a fire resistant purpose. Page 15 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

16 4.5 Non-fire Performance Requirements In addition to requirements for fire testing, individual TSs prescribe testing of non-fire characteristics; not only those that affect fire performance but any that affect a product s fitness for purpose having regard to its end use. This may include some or all of the following: - Hygiene health and the environment - Safety in use - Protection against noise - Energy economy and heat retention - Serviceability, including durability Test evidence shall be sufficient to cover the required applications and exposure conditions. Acceptance of such evidence shall be solely at the discretion of Warrington Certification and it will take into account the criticality of each of the characteristics in relation to the fire performance of the product(s) The applicable TS will identify the Characteristics for which a claim of No Performance Determined (NPD) is permitted. 4.6 Assessment Principles Only personnel appointed by as competent to conduct such work and as listed in the Competency Matrix shall be able to conduct the assessment Assessment of the products will be in accordance with the PFPF Guide of similar and also the assessment principles laid out in the relevant specific product CERTIFIRE and will be based upon information derived from appropriate tests The assessment report will determine the scope of acceptability of the product(s) in line with the specific technical requirements of the applicable TS based on available test evidence Direct application of the test evidence, via assessment, to other products within the same family, is permitted within the scope of the applicable TS. Page 16 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

17 4.7 Factory Production Control Audit / ISO 9001:2008 Certification Verification In parallel with the assessment / testing activities related to CERTIFIRE Certification of an applicant s product(s) as detailed in sections 4.2 & 4.3, will also conduct an FPC / Quality management system verification audit of the applicant supplier s / manufacturer s facilities in order to establish adequate control is exerted on the manufacture of the product(s) subject of the application in order to maintain traceability and conformity of manufacture. The detail of the manufacturing process shall be covered by independent audit and surveillance of the FPC operated by the manufacturer. Product certification under the requirements of the CERTIFIRE Scheme is conditional upon the applicant company operating a quality management system satisfying the requirements of ISO 9001:2008, which incorporates Factory Production Control processes / procedures which will assure product traceability and conformity or at least an effective Factory Production Control system which will assure product conformity prior to certification. See requirement details below Any company holding ISO 9001 quality management system certification with a UKAS (or similar) accredited certification body will be accepted by Warrington Certification as meeting the CERTIFIRE quality system requirements and only the applicant s FPC shall be subject to assessment by to verify its effectiveness. Upon successful certification, the applicant company shall be subject to annual surveillance visits of their FPC Where an applicant operates a quality management system complying with ISO 9001:2008 (but not independently certificated by an accredited certification body), shall undertake assessment of its effectiveness as well as the company s FPC. Upon successful certification, the applicant company shall be subject to more frequent and more comprehensive surveillance visits, (typically each 6 months). Such a system must address the following requirements in addition to FPC requirements; Internal Audits, Formal Management Review, Customer Complaints, Customer Satisfaction, Corrective / Preventive Action, Continuous Improvement procedures. Page 17 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

18 4.7.2 Where relevant, the FPC shall comply with the requirements of Annex Z of the relevant harmonised European product standard or Chapter 8 of the relevant European Technical Approval Guideline where available. have produced product family specific FPC checklists which are provided as appendices to the applicable TS and which focus on the control of manufacture of the actual product, concentrating on critical features / aspects of the product(s) and how the manufacturing controls ensure that these features are maintained by consistent manufacture. Typically an FPC system should address, but not be restricted to the following elements; a) Control of Purchasing, including supplier assessment and purchase order details b) Control of Raw Material and Component inspection, storage and identification and traceability through the production process (as may be applicable) c) Control of documentation related to the production process, including formulation sheets, design drawings, production specifications, (as may be applicable) manufacturing / production work instructions / procedures, inspection criteria (including final inspection and labelling / packaging), assembly / installation instructions, etc. d) Identification and traceability throughout the manufacturing process (batch numbering, product identification numbering as applicable) up to first point of sale e) Inspection and testing of the product throughout the manufacturing process as appropriate to confirm critical features of the product with pre-determined criteria and to ensure product conformity, including the maintenance of records of such inspections up to and including product release f) Calibration of monitoring, measuring and inspection equipment, including records of same g) Maintenance of production equipment to ensure product conformity, including records of same h) Training records for those staff involved in the development, manufacture, inspection and packaging of the product under certification The product specific s (TS) may also include specific requirements related to an applicant s FPC system which are known by as being critical to the conformity and fire resistant properties of certain types of products. These should be taken into account in addition to the generic requirements set out in this document. Page 18 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

19 These FPC audits shall be undertaken by Quality Engineers or by agents of who have been deemed competent by Warrington Certification to undertake such audits Where such requirements are not available the FPC regime shall be agreed between and the manufacturer so as to ensure consistency of production and supply with traceability such that confidence in the continuing performance of the certificated product is maintained. The FPC shall be audited as detailed in section above For applicants complying with section above, during the FPC audit the Quality Engineer will verify the ISO 9001 certification is valid, covers the scope of the products under assessment and is fully implemented and maintained by the provider. Warrington Certification will highlight in FPC audit reports any situation where the ISO 9001 certification provider has suspended or withdrawn certification from the applicant / client as this may affect issue of / maintenance of CERTIFIRE Certification where the reasons for withdrawal relate to failings in FPC related aspects of the company s management system For applicants complying with section above, during the FPC audit the Quality Engineer will extend the scope of the audit beyond the FPC activities in order to assess the effectiveness of the company s quality management system (as by not holding ISO 9001 certification of their QMS the company do not have an independent certification body to do this) The FPC procedures at each location manufacturing the product(s) shall be audited by prior to any certification being awarded. Note that where an additional product or products are to be manufactured at a location manufacturing products already certificated and under the may not be required The FPC Audit will focus amongst other items on correct marking / labelling of product. Requirements for marking / labelling of CERTIFIRE Certificated product is detailed within the applicable TS, and the compliance with these specific requirements will be checked as will traceability of marked / labelled products through records Subsequent to initial audit, surveillance of the FPC shall be conducted in accordance with the frequency set out below Where the company operates an FPC system supported by a certificated ISO 9001:2008 quality management system complying with section above the company shall undergo FPC surveillance visits on a 12 monthly frequency by Where a company operates a non-certificated ISO 9001 based QMS in addition to an FPC system, as Quality Engineers are the only auditors who Page 19 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

20 externally assess the applicant company s FPC and quality management system, the surveillance frequency will be on a 6 monthly basis from award of CERTIFIRE certification (unless otherwise specified by ) Where the company only operates an FPC system without the support of an ISO 9001 quality management system, provided the FPC system is assessed by Warrington Certification Quality Engineers as effective and comprehensive enough to verify the conformity of product in accordance with those sampled for Initial Type Testing, the frequency for surveillance shall be on a 3 or 4 monthly basis reserve the right to increase / decrease the duration of FPC audits depending upon expansion in scope of certification (CERTIFIRE Certification obtained for more products) or reduction in scope (clients withdrawing products from certificated range). For companies as described in and the actual on-going frequency for QMS / FPC surveillance (6 months and 3 or 4 months respectively) may be reduced after a number of visits have confirmed satisfactory results, in such case Warrington Certification shall agree a revised frequency with the company and will confirm this in writing to the company. If unsatisfactory findings are recorded by Quality Engineers in later surveillance visits, reserve the right to increase the frequency of surveillance visits as a result In the case of product suppliers who hold CERTIFIRE certification for products they supply to the market which are manufactured by others, the extent and frequency of the FPC visits will be determined by and the actual input of the supplier to the product. - A supplier who assembles the end product from components / materials manufactured by others and packages and marks the product in their own brand shall be treated as a manufacturer. - A supplier who repackages / re-labels products under an own branding agreement shall be treated as a manufacturer. - A supplier who merely stocks products but does not re label shall be treated as a stockist and the FPC inspection will purely focus on traceability and manufacturers storage and supply conditions being observed. Page 20 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

21 4.7.8 Non-Compliances raised during FPC Audits Any minor non-compliance raised during FPC audits shall be closed out via post or at the next surveillance Any major non-compliance identified during the FPC audit may, at the discretion of, require a special follow-up visit. The need for such a visit will be discussed and agreed with the applicant / client. These revisit inspections to close out non-compliances shall be charged at the prevailing rate, (including travelling costs and time taken to address the follow-up). 4.8 Issue of CERTIFIRE Certification / CERTIFIRE Register Entry Upon completion of the assessment, shall advise the company of the outcome of the application. Where this has been successful a certificate shall be issued stating clearly the scope and limitations of the certifications. The CERTIFIRE Certificate shall be issued to be valid for 5 years from the date of issue, (assuming CERTIFIRE Scheme Requirements are maintained by the applicant company). Where deems the assessment to be such as to make certification inappropriate, shall inform the applicant, giving the reasons for non-acceptance The scope of certification of the product(s) shall be contained in the CERTIFIRE Certificate of Approval and associated documents and shall be entered into the CERTIFIRE Register of Approved Products. The certificate shall indicate the acceptable application(s) of the product, the fire resistance period and the duty of use, as well as stating (as applicable) the maximum sizes of product for the different configurations by an appropriate description or code or by means of the matrix given in Annex B of the applicable TS The certificate shall identify any variations to the design of the product detailed, and it will also identify the field of application and the basis of the certification being granted together with any limitations on use of the product No single CERTIFIRE Certificate shall be issued with multiple products identified on it which are from different product families (one product family = one certificate) CERTIFIRE Certificates may be issued for products which are covered by different CERTIFIRE TS s provided that the products are all of the same product family (one product family = one certificate). Page 21 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

22 4.9 Labelling / Marking and Conformity The requirements for labelling / marking of the product and the conformity of its manufacture are contained within the product specific TS, these must be strictly adhered to in order for CERTIFIRE Certification to be granted / maintained Audit Procedures / Ongoing Surveillance It is a principle of the CERTIFIRE Scheme that audit procedures are in place to evaluate finished product in the market. The specific requirements for each product type is given in the applicable product specific TS which may include periodic testing of products sampled by or our agents from the market or from the factory. Sampling procedures for on-going surveillance testing shall be in full accordance with those set out in section The factory(s) where the certificated product(s) is/are made shall be subjected to FPC audit as detailed in section and shall be conducted by or its appointed agent. The FPC surveillance audit shall focus upon the controls which ensure conformity of manufacture of the product as presented to for initial certification. Where a European Technical specification exists the surveillance shall include the requirements from that specification Surveillance (Audit) tests shall be conducted in accordance with the same standards as those undertaken as ITT tests during the product s initial certification. The precise design, size and configuration shall be as agreed by but related to the original test programme. Fire resistance tests conducted for other purposes may be accepted in lieu of audit tests at discretion. Failure to comply with the surveillance (audit) test requirements for the certificated product shall result in immediate suspension of certification until the testing has been successfully carried out The specific audit test / inspection requirements for the specific products are given in the individual TS Consequences of Surveillance (Audit) Test Failure Audit test failures shall be investigated immediately by the manufacturer and corrective action agreed with. Dependent upon the scale of failure the certification may be suspended, product recalls or press announcements may be appropriate. The action necessary will be determined by in consultation with the client company (certificate holder) and will be appropriate to the specific situation. Page 22 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

23 4.12 Non Compliance with CERTIFIRE Requirements The consequences of deficiencies discovered during FPC Audits shall normally result in the issue of non compliance reports as detailed in section Remedial / corrective actions shall be agreed appropriate to the severity of the non compliance Failure to address corrective action on a major non-compliance within the agreed timescales shall result in the certification being suspended until such corrective action has been taken and verified by. Unless such corrective action is then addressed suspended certificate shall be withdrawn Failure to facilitate with access to conduct FPC Audits at the manufacturing facility at the required frequency shall result in suspension / withdrawal of certification Sanctions for Failing to Comply with CERTIFIRE Scheme Rules Failure to comply with marking and labelling requirements set out in Annex 1 will result in suspension of certification until such time as product labelling, literature, catalogue, website pages are corrected Persistent misuse of the CERTIFIRE Mark / Logo will result in a suspension of certification for a period of time set by who will take into account previous misuses in determining the period of suspension up to a maximum period of 12 months Certificated companies found sourcing products from a manufacturing location unknown to whilst continuing to claim CERTIFIRE Certification without notifying of the change in manufacturer shall result in the immediate suspension of all certification held by the company. This suspension may be applied for up to 36 months or the certification may be terminated. This suspension shall also affect any certificate holder who relies on the suspended certificated company for provision of their certificated product CERTIFIRE Certificated companies who are found to be marking products which have not been subject of the CERTIFIRE Certification process will be subject to immediate suspension of all certification held by the manufacturer / supplier. This suspension may be applied for up to 36 months Companies found to be marking products with CERTIFIRE markings who are not known to and whose products have not been subject of CERTIFIRE Certification shall be subject of legal action implemented by on the basis of Passing Off. Page 23 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

24 4.14 Declaration of Changes to Certificated Product(s) It is the responsibility of the company holding CERTIFIRE Certification to formally notify of any changes made to certified products, so that Warrington Certification may review the changes and decide upon any re-evaluation / re-test requirements to establish if the changes have affected the product s performance. The company must notify immediately any such changes are implemented. 5 APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATION An application for certification shall be made on the Application Form EWC-QU-FT-68 together with the application fee. This Form is available from upon request. The applicant shall specify (on the application form) the jurisdictions in which the products will be used and (if known) the relevant TS/technical standard against which certification is sought. If the applicant is not aware of the relevant TS/technical standard, Warrington Certification should be consulted. Companies shall be required to complete CERTIFIRE Certification for the requested product scope within 12 months of submission of the application. reserve the rights to terminate the application of any company who does not progress the certification process to award of CERTIFIRE Certification within this timescale. Page 24 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

25 6. SCHEME REGULATIONS (CERTIFIRE ISSUED FROM UK ONLY) 6.1 The technical requirements of the scheme are given in section 4 of this document. 6.2 Applicants and certificated companies shall nominate a representative and, if appropriate, one or more deputies, authorised to act in the main nominee s absence, who shall be responsible for all matters relating to their CERTIFIRE Certification and via whom all communications between and the company shall be directed. 6.3 Applicants and certificated companies shall be responsible for allowing Warrington Certification free access to offices and factories during normal working hours for the purposes of conducting initial, surveillance and annual audits / inspections and for providing information and facilities as may reasonably be required by Warrington Certification The company shall be responsible for notifying of any changes to the certified product as detailed in section Certificated companies shall be permitted to use the CERTIFIRE mark in accordance with the requirements given in Appendix A of this document. Any promotional material using the CERTIFIRE mark shall be first submitted to for approval. If considers the wording or illustration to be misleading in any way, the certificated company shall amend the material to the satisfaction of. The certificated company s right to use the mark is not transferable. 6.6 A certificated company shall not make performance claims for their certificated products which cannot be substantiated by the product certification process. 6.7 A company with certificated products shall conduct its business in good faith in respect of manufacturing and marketing products for which CERTIFIRE certification is held and in accordance with the requirements of CERTIFIRE Scheme as described in this document and any future revisions of it. 6.8 A certificated company may terminate the certification of its product(s) upon written notification to. A minimum of three months notice of termination shall be given. Upon termination by the certificated company or by Warrington Certification in accordance with these requirements, the company shall forthwith discontinue the use of both the CERTIFIRE mark and all claims of certification under the scheme. No further fees will be due from the date of termination except for unpaid fees accruing from before the date of termination. No fees already paid will be refunded. During the period of notice of termination the company shall continue to comply fully with the scheme requirements. Page 25 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

26 6.9 may, at its discretion, revoke, amend, refuse to grant, renew or extend certification if a certificated company fails to comply with the provisions of these requirements or becomes subject to the bankruptcy laws or enters into liquidation or is convicted of any offence tending to discredit its bona fides. Such a decision and the grounds for it will communicated to the certificated company in writing CERTIFIRE certification shall be re-assessed on an annual on-going basis via the FPC Audit with certificates valid for 5 years from date of issue The CERTIFIRE scheme fee structure is outlined in Annex 3 of this document; specific quotations related to client certification requirements are available on request. Failure to pay fees as stated in this document within the specified time shall render a certificated company liable to certification being revoked will investigate any complaint against a certificated company or its certificated products received from a third party concerning the certificated company s performance in respect of the scheme requirements. Exova Warringtonfire M.E. will, at its discretion, notify the certificated company of such complaints in order that corrective actions can be agreed and implemented Complaints Procedure () This clause covers the case of a company with certificated products complaining about the conduct of Staff / decisions taken by related to the company s activities as covered by this document and complaints related to the operation of the CERTIFIRE Scheme All complaints should be in writing and addressed to: Certification Manager, Exova (UK) Limited trading as, Holmesfield Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA 1 2DS, UK. All complaints received by are investigated and actions taken where appropriate Upon receipt of the complaint it will be logged on the date of receipt and will be reviewed by the Manager at the earliest opportunity. Page 26 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

27 The Manager shall conduct an investigation into the complaint which may involve discussion with the Process Certification Manager, Certification Engineer, Product Schemes Manager or a third party to establish basis and background to complaint. If the complaint is not of a confidential nature (one which can be aired in the presence of others who may have similar concerns), the complaint may be discussed at a sector liaison meeting. In such a case the complainant will be advised of the complaint s inclusion on the agenda of the next liaison meeting and the proposed date of the meeting The Manager shall upon completion of all investigation related to the complaint be responsible for deciding whether or not the complaint is valid / justified Where the decision is taken that the complaint is valid the Manager shall initiate corrective action to address the compliant and shall notify the complainant in writing of the action taken / to be implemented to address the complaint. The Manager shall be responsible for reviewing the action taken to ensure it is working to prevent a recurrence of the instance which resulted in the complaint being made Where the decision is taken that the complaint is not justified, the Manager shall notify the complainant in writing of their decision. The complainant shall be offered the facility to appeal against the decision in which case the Appeals Procedure shall be invoked should the complainant decide to appeal the decision. See Complaints and Appeals Procedure EWC-QU-PD-022 Page 27 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

28 6.14 Appeals Procedure Applicants and certificated manufacturers have the right of appeal against any decision made by against these requirements and in respect of their application for certification or termination of a manufacturer s product certification. In order to invoke this procedure the appellant shall accept the following procedure Notice of any appeal shall be made in writing and addressed to: Certification Manager,, Holmesfield Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA 1 2DS, UK within 14 days of official notification of the decision. The appellant shall clearly set out the grounds for the appeal and shall enclose a cheque for 1,500 made payable to to cover the costs of the appeal (refundable only where the Appeals Panel finds in favour of the Appellant) The appeal shall be reviewed by the Certification Manager (who may consult the Chairman of the Impartially Committee), who may contact the appellant to discuss the grounds for the appeal and may request further details if he believes there is insufficient information on which to make a judgement The Certification Manager shall attempt to resolve the appeal within 1 month of receipt of the written appeal. If the situation can be resolved to the satisfaction of both the appellant and within 1 month of receipt and it does not progress beyond this point, the fee is refunded. (This may be as a result of certification being reinstated or by the appellant accepting the Certification Manager s decision made to terminate their certification based on the grounds surrounding the incident) In the case of resolution by the Certification Manager, the Certification Manager will write to the appellant confirming the agreed resolution of the appeal and will return the appellant s cheque for 1,500. If the appeal can be resolved as detailed above no appeals panel shall be constituted If the Manager s review fails to resolve the appeal, the Manager shall contact the Impartiality Committee Chairman and request the constitution of an Appeals Panel. Warrington Certification shall endeavour to facilitate hearing of an appeal by an Appeals Panel within 3 months of receipt of the written grounds for appeal An Appeals Panel specifically constituted for the purpose of hearing an appeal which cannot be resolved by the Certification Manager will comprise 3 members of the Impartiality Committee, as selected by the Chairman of the Impartiality Committee. They will be selected such that no member has any direct or indirect commercial interest in the appeal. The Chairman of the Impartiality Committee will not be a member of the Appeals Panel but he will nominate one of the 3 members as the Appeals Panel Chairman. Page 28 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

29 An Appeals Panel convened from members of the Impartiality Committee is a wholly independent body not employed by. The members of the Management Council; - are not employed by, - are not paid by, - act independently of s day to day business activities, - give of their time voluntarily to monitor the activities of as an independent body of individuals representing various interests overseeing s activities. The Impartiality Committee is actually formed from a group of Enforcers, Regulators, Manufacturers, Insurers, Users / Specifiers who act as a voluntary council to oversee the activities of When the subject of the appeal involves technical matters, the Impartiality Committee Chairman may arrange for one or more persons having suitable technical expertise to be available for consultation by the Appeals Panel. In such cases the Impartiality Committee Chairman will ensure that the persons nominated have no previous involvement with the certification issue in question The appellant will be notified of the proposed date of the appeal hearing, the composition of the Appeals Panel and any technical advisors to be made available to the panel not less than 14 days before the date of the meeting. The appellant may challenge the composition of the panel and/or the technical advisors within 2 days of being informed of the composition and shall provide written reasons for any challenge The Appeals Panel Chairman will consider the reasons for any challenge and at his sole discretion will decide whether the composition of the Panel or technical advisors will be changed. In choosing any replacements, the Appeals Panel Chairman will take into account the reasons for the challenge to ensure that as far as possible the same objections will not apply to the replacements. No further challenges will be considered The appellant has the right to be supported at the hearing of the Appeals Panel by a representative of his choice. Any such representative shall be notified to the Chairman of the Appeals Panel 14 days prior to the hearing. The Chairman has the right, on behalf of the Appeals Panel, to challenge any such nomination. Page 29 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

30 The decision of the Appeals Panel will be decided by a simple majority and the decision will be final The Certification Manager of will be responsible for arranging the timing and location of the appeal hearing by the Appeals Panel which will be advised to the appellant at least 7 days in advance The original decision will remain in force pending the meeting of the Appeal Panel at which both the appellant, the Certification Manager and any other relevant member of will be entitled to be heard in confidence. The Certification Manager or any other person nominated by the Appeals Panel will be responsible for implementing the decision of the Panel. The Chairman of the Appeals Panel will ensure that the appropriate action is correctly implemented All correspondence related to the Appeals Procedure must be sent Recorded Delivery The Appeals Procedure above accommodates an appellant who is resident in UK/Europe. If an appeal needs to be heard for an appellant who is resident elsewhere in the world, other arrangements may be made whereby an appeal is heard locally if a more convenient representative office of is available. In the event that this happens, which will be at the discretion of the Chairman of the Warrington Certification Impartiality Committee, the appellant will be advised of the procedure and timescales. See Complaints and Appeals Procedure EWC-QU-PD-022 Confidentiality 6.15 will not disclose to any third party any information about a company or their products gained as a result of carrying out certification of the company s product(s) which may be considered confidential, without the company s consent. This restriction will not apply to information required by bona fide accreditation bodies such as UKAS in pursuance of accreditation of the scheme, provided that such information is given to such bodies on a confidential basis. Restrictions will not apply to information which is considered to be in the public domain and available on request to any interested party A certificated company shall indemnify against any financial losses that may incur as a result of the certificated company s failure to comply with these scheme requirements. will maintain insurance cover against liability claims made against it and which may arise from operation of the scheme. The level of cover will be determined by Warrington Certification to be reasonable in respect of its potential liabilities bearing in mind those prevailing within the certification industry in general. Page 30 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

31 6.17 The interpretation of these requirements and the terms of the insurance cover will be governed and construed in accordance with English Law and in the event of any dispute parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of the English Courts Certificated companies shall comply with the scheme requirements currently in force. These requirements may from time to time be amended at the discretion of Warrington Certification. Such amendments will be notified in writing to certificated companies with dates for implementation of the revisions It must be clearly understood that a company holding CERTIFIRE product certification has a Duty of Care to bring to the attention of any client, principal contractor, building owner/operator (for whom they are engaged in providing products) any products provided by others which are known to be non-compliant with building regulations, incorrect / inappropriate use of products to satisfy a particular fire protection requirement. Should the company not wish to confront their client with this information for contractual reasons such information may be brought to the attention of during an FPC factory audit visit so that the instance becomes documented in the visit report Copyright of this document is held by Exova (UK) Limited trading as Warrington Certification. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of in writing. Permission to copy this document for internal use is automatically given to applicants and certificated contractors. Such copies are uncontrolled and this status shall be identified on each copy. Page 31 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

32 ANNEX A CONDITIONS FOR THE USE OF THE CERTIFIRE CERTIFICATION MARK/LOGO ( Issued Only) 1. The CERTIFIRE certification mark ( the mark ) is a registered certification mark and may be used by certificated manufacturers / certificated suppliers of certificated products. 2. There are three versions of the mark as shown on page 35. The appropriate mark shall only be used on: Products design A Packaging and product literature design B Letterheads, display or promotional material design C (provided the FULL product range is certificated) 3. The mark shall only be used in its entirety and without amendment. 4. The mark shall only be used in relation to products certificated by in accordance with CERTIFIRE scheme requirements and shall not be used on any product or used in any manner to imply certification of a product which is not certificated. 5. Where the CERTIFIRE mark or logo is displayed on literature, catalogue or web site pages which depict a number of different products, the CERTIFIRE mark (or logo) should only be used to clearly identify the individual product (by its reference number), which are actually certificated under the CERTIFIRE Scheme. 6. Where a product can be used in a number of different configurations, unless all possible configurations have been subject of CERTIFIRE Certification, only those which are certificated shall be claimed by the manufacturer / supplier in their literature / catalogue / web pages. 7. The mark, when used in association with the relevant Accreditation Mark (for example the UKAS mark) as shown below, shall be used as detailed in note 2 above. Page 32 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

33 8. The mark, design C as shown on page 34, may also be used on vehicles, buildings and flags but NOT in association with the UKAS mark. 9. The mark shall be used at any size considered appropriate for the application and shall only be used to show the manufacturers involvement in fire protection systems. The relative proportions shall always be retained. 10. If the mark is used in association with the National Accreditation Mark (the UKAS mark) on stationery not larger than A4, the maximum height shall be 30mm and the minimum 20mm. However in some circumstances, which are usually dictated by reason of space, the marks may be reduced in size provided they remain clearly legible. Full details of the use of the National Accreditation Mark (the UKAS mark) can be found in the DTI publication ref URN 98/887 which is available at The mark shall be printed in a single colour, the default reference for which is Pantone ref. 2945C. Alternatively the mark may be produced in black. 12. The manufacturer shall, at the request of, cease to use the CERTIFIRE mark if deem the application inappropriate. 13. A manufacturer shall, upon suspension of certification, immediately discontinue the issue of documents that display the mark or contain reference to CERTIFIRE certification. 14. A manufacturer shall, upon termination of certification, immediately cease distribution of all items on which the mark is displayed and shall remove it from any other form of display or promotional application. Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to legal action being taken by to enforce this requirement. 15. CERTIFIRE certificates issued within the scope of UKAS accreditation will carry a combined CERTIFIRE and National Accreditation Mark (the UKAS mark). 16. It is a condition of use that the mark shall not be used in any printed advertisements or printed publicity matter directed primarily to the market in the United Kingdom and in the Isle of Man or in retail point of sale display cards distributed by the Registered Proprietor for use within the United Kingdom and in the Isle of Man without indicating that it is a certification mark. 17. Failure to comply with these requirements for the mark may result in withdrawal of certification and legal action under appropriate legislation. 18. Procedures for dealing with abuse and misuse of certification marks is given in document GD 003 which is available from on request. Page 33 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

34 CONDITIONS FOR THE USE OF THE CERTIFIRE LOGO 19. The logo, design D as shown on page 35, may be used more generally than the mark. Both manufacturers and distributors of certificated products who wish to use the logo and who do not hold CERTIFIRE product certification for their full product range shall apply to Warrington Certification with their proposals. These proposals shall describe how they wish to use the logo and will be considered by. In general the logo shall not be used in such a way that it implies certification of products, services or activities for which certification has not been awarded, however provided that referencing is provided to the products certificated by, consent to use the logo will not unreasonably be withheld. An example of such referencing may be a hyperlink from a web page to the CERTIFIRE Register of certificated products. Any reference shall include the CF number(s) below the logo. 20. Details of the colour and colour gradation of the logo may be obtained on request. 21. Failure to comply with these requirements for the logo may result in withdrawal of certification and legal action under appropriate legislation. Page 34 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall

35 Design A APPROVED CF xxxx Design B APPROVED PRODUCT CF xxxx Design C Design D Page 35 of 38 This document is the exclusive property of. It shall