The first in the four part series looks at the Construction Product Regulation with particular focus on CE marked Pipe Collars and Pipe Wraps. The CPR No. 305/2011 will come into force on the 1st of July 2013 and replace the Construction Product Directive (CPD) 89/106/EEC. In contrast to the CPD the CPR will make the CE marking of certain construction products mandatory.

The importance of CE marking fire protection products is one which should not be underestimated. The presence of a CE mark demonstrates the product meets the minimum technical requirements necessary to be placed onto the entire European Internal Market. It is important however to recognize that CE marking demonstrates harmonisation of technical requirements and does not mean a harmonisation of National Building Regulations.

The full article as featured in IFP magazine can be found here.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

Whereas the CPD lacked clarity as to when products had to be CE marked, the CPR identifies all products that can be CE marked when they can demonstrate compliance with a CEN (EN) product standard or an EAD (previously ETA), then they can carry the CE mark at the point of sale or installation. Implementation by 1st July will be a tight schedule that may have some manufacturers struggling, not just in the UK, but across Europe. The history of CE marking on fire sealing products portrays some of the complications encountered.

Back in 1985, the European Commission published a White Paper which set the target of abolishing all barriers to trade across the Member States of Europe. These barriers included technical, physical and tax related barriers that could prevent companies in one Member State from selling their goods in another Member State. These barriers were meant to be removed in the following seven years and 1992 became the major target, with numerous Government publications being circulated putting form to the objectives and stressing the need to have certain tasks completed by that year. The Commission believed that a single common market; a market that was satisfied by products which displayed similar properties and performance characteristics was a necessity if any Member States’ companies were to produce products which were competitively priced as a result of the economies of scale which will accrue if the market size is large enough. The Commission visualised that if European companies were to gain an equal share of the global market for products, production levels would need to match those of other major areas of the world e.g. USA, China.

It was stressed that whilst it was deemed important that the product properties were similar to permit comparison throughout Europe, there was absolutely no intent to harmonise regulations. The harmonisation was restricted to the properties governing fire behaviour so that when fire resistance, or ignitability etc., were called up in Member States’ regulations, the criteria to be satisfied are the same across Europe, regardless of whether the product was produced and tested in Germany, UK, Greece or wherever. Each European country could call up different durations of fire resistance or levels of flame spread as befits the risk associated with their building stock, but the criteria shall be measured in a similar way. The first stage in this harmonisation process was to generate a whole raft of harmonised fire tests that the Member States could adopt in their regulations and for which they could find equivalence in their national requirements.

During the same period, the Commission defined what the essential requirements were for a building; the second of which is ‘Safety in case of fire’. It was stressed that any construction product does not exhibit dangerous behaviour when exposed to fire and must also make a positive contribution to fire safety when designed to do so.

Having defined the performance requirements using the criteria given in the harmonised fire tests (as produced by the European Technical Committee – TC127), the Commission then identified that the Community did not only require harmonised performances against harmonised test methods, it needed harmonised product standards which could identify which of the essential requirements were considered necessary to be satisfied by the products for which appropriate test procedures had been produced.

All of the above activities took place under the mandate of the Construction Product Directive (CPD), but there was confusion within the Commission/Member States as to whether all construction products had to satisfy the CPD and whether they all needed to be marked with the, now increasingly seen, CE mark. This mark is now meant to identify that the product satisfies all of the relevant essential requirements that had been identified in the product standard as being critical. We most commonly see the mark on electrical goods to identify its compliance with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, but with construction products it is far more complex and if a product is to be CE marked, it has to demonstrate that it satisfies a much wide range of essential requirements, as follows:

1. Mechanical resistance and stability
2. Safety in case of fire
3. Hygiene health and the environment (release of fibres, etc.)
4. Safety in use
5. Protection against noise
6. Energy economy and heat retention

Whilst some of these are not relevant and can be labelled as ‘no performance’ determined, there are obviously more facets to consider than with electrical goods.

However, the CPD has lacked clarity as to when the products had to be CE marked and few, if any; manufacturers were preparing to mark their products. On the 9th of March 2011 it was announced that the CPD was to be replaced by the Construction Product Regulation (CPR) which would definitely identify that all products can be CE marked if they can demonstrate compliance with a CEN (EN) product standard or an EAD (previously ETA) then they can carry the CE mark at the point of sale or installation. This will be implemented by 1st July 2013, giving manufacturers a challenging, if not, real struggle to comply by this date.

There is a notable exception to this situation Pyroplex Ltd. A member of a UK based Reddiplex Group. Pyroplex have applied significant resources to have its Pipe Collars and Pipe Wraps CE marked well in advance of the recommended date. This is notable for a number of reasons. One of the primary objectives was that the companies who manufactured product for use through Europe would grow to a size able to take on the global market. But there was a tendency to believe that only large conglomerates would be able to resource achieving this status. Pyroplex certainly ‘bucks that trend’ whilst being a substantial company, it would not normally attract the title of ‘a conglomerate’. Therefore, as a UK medium-sized enterprise, Pyroplex has achieved the ultimate objective of meeting the requirements that should drive its products further into the World market.

The specialist area in which Pyroplex operates; the manufacture and supply of fire sealing products, is one of those markets where there were also inordinate delays in the preparation of the necessary testing procedures and/or Technical Approval documents- Pyroplex overcame these delays by taking an active role in the drafting process for such documents. This meant that Pyroplex sat alongside the stakeholders from the construction industry, i.e. standards writers, regulators, notified bodies and certification agencies in the UK and Europe, and drew up the missing documents which were then sent out for review, public comment and final editing. This process is robust and ensures that the published standards and approval documents incorporate the correct procedures to demonstrate compliance with the relevant ‘essential’ requirements. Participating in this process gave Pyroplex a head start in getting its products onto the market carrying the CE marking that the Construction Product Regulation will make mandatory.

The Pyroplex range of penetration seals comprises of Pyroplex Pipe Collars, covering 25mm to 400mm diameter pipes and Pyroplex Pipe Wraps from 55mm to 160mm diameter pipes. Within these ranges, there are individual products with 2hour and 4hour fire resistance periods.

Andy Walsh
Technical Manager
Pyroplex Limited
The Furlong,
Berry Hill Industrial Estate,
Droitwich,
WR9 9BG

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

The substitution of fire door components is an increasingly familiar scenario. The long process of testing and specification is often overlooked on site and the contractor may swap a product for an alternative without realising the detrimental effect this may have in the performance of the door in a fire situation.

This is why the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme is launching a new campaign to urge contractors to ‘stick to the spec’ ; warning that cutting corners to cut costs when installing fire doors is also putting contractors and their clients at an unacceptable risk.

As a member of BWF-Certifire, Pyroplex will be actively supporting this scheme in the marketplace. For further information visit:

http://www.bwfcertifire.org.uk/fire-door-safety/stay-safe-stick-to-the-spec

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

Pyroplex has a wealth of third party approvals for our products that have been carried out by internationally recognised schemes. The use of such schemes allows us to differentiate our products from competitors through demonstrating a higher level of certification than the minimal requirements placed on the marketplace.

These schemes offer reassurance that the product manufactured are true to those that have been tested, reassuring architects, specifiers and installers that the products, when correctly installed, will perform as documented in the test.

The full range of Pyroplex third party approvals is available on the relevant website product pages.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

We will be showcasing our full range of penetration sealing solutions including our CE Marked Pipe Collars and Wraps. Pyroplex have invested heavily in the testing of penetration sealing solutions to ensure they meet the ever increasing requirements of the international marketplace.

The exhibition will also offer an opportunity to view our intumescent based solutions for use in timber and metal doorsets.

The Pyroplex team will be on the stand to guide you through our products and associated test evidence. The exhibition will also present an opportunity to meet with our Technical Manager to discuss any technical questions you may have with regards to specific products and applications.

Register online and come and visit us on stand 3/A15 at the NEC, Birmingham, UK between the 13th and 16th of May 2013.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) was established in 1975 to represent and support the activities of the fire industry in relation to all forms of ‘built in’ fire protection.

As one of the UKs leading trade association relating to ‘Built-In’ fire protection, the ASFP is dedicated to the protection of life, property, the environment and promotes continuous improvement in all aspects of passive fire protection. Working with Government and international standard setting bodies both directly, and via other sector group associations, the ASFP endeavors to increase the quality of installed fire protection within all forms of construction.

For more information about the ASFP and its activities visit ASFP Website.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

The FDIS scheme is Europe’s first fire door inspection scheme. Through the implementation of this scheme in the marketplace it will:

• Help improve safety and save lives through creating a pool of expertise and competence to help those with legal responsibilities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO).
• Provide a new support mechanism for the Responsible Person (as defined under the RRO) to complete assessments for the premises they manage.
• Raise awareness of defective fire doors and the potentially tragic consequences of leaving these unchecked.

For more information contact us, or for more information about the scheme visit Fire Door Inspection Scheme

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

Pyroplex has taken an active approach to the introduction of the Construction Products Regulation and through close collaboration with our notified laboratory have successfully been accredited with CE Marketing for our full range of Pipe Collars and Pipe Wraps.

The CE Mark demonstrates Pyroplex Pipe Collars and Pipe Wraps are compliant with the relevant EU legislation. This confirms the products validity and demonstrates that it meets all the legislative requirements to enable it to be used throughout the EU without restriction.

Pipe Penetration Sealing
Pyroplex CE Marked Pipe Collars and Pipe Wraps are designed to reinstate the fire resistance of compartment walls and floors in constructions.
Compartmentation forms the basis of effective passive fire protection in buildings, by dividing the building into compartments it allows the restriction of the passage fire, smoke and heat through the building. This is achieved by all compartments having fire resisting walls and floors that in the event of a fire prevent the transfer of fire, smoke and heat from the compartment of origin to the adjoining compartments.

Compartmentation has a number of additional features:

• Keeping escape routes clear, thereby allowing the escape of occupiers and entry of emergency services
• Preventing the spread of fire from one building to adjacent buildings
• Allowing the building to have maintain a degree of structural integrity

Pipe penetrations need to protect pipes running through the compartment walls and floors in a building to accommodate gas, water and air movement, compromising the fire resistance of the compartment. It is therefore necessary to install Pyroplex Pipe Collars or Wraps to reinstate the fire performance of the compartment wall or floor.

Pyroplex CE Marked Pipe Collars and Pipe Wraps offer solutions for 2 hour and 4 hour fire resistance and are suitable for use on plastic pipes ranging from 25 to 400mm in diameter.

For full details refer to the Data sheets for Pyroplex Pipe Collars and Pyroplex Pipe Wraps.
It is Pyroplex policy to continue to develop a CE marked programme for all products requiring such certification. Announcements will be issued as progress is made.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

The Pyroplex range satisfies the requirements set out in approved Document E by exceeding the requirement for a minimum sound reduction index of 29dB. The range has been tested to BS EN ISO 140-3 and rated in accordance with BS EN ISO 717-1 to demonstrate acoustic performance.

The Pyroplex Flipper range with its thermally fussed flippers, provides enhance durability, aesthetics and acoustics performance for use in leading manufactures 30 and 60 minute fire resistant door sets.

Further information on product performance can be found in our newly published ‘Pyroplex Acoustics Products’ brochure.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems

The exhibition saw the launch of a number of new Pyroplex construction solutions including our Pyroplex Ablative Coating for use in conjunction with Pressure Exerting Sealant, providing a solution for cable tray applications, and Pyroplex Fire Rated Mortar for use in floor and wall applications.

The exhibition attracts visitors from across the region to view the comprehensive range of building and construction products being exhibited. The exhibition was a huge success in both generating interest in Pyroplex solutions, but also raising the profile of the importance of passive fire protection in the Gulf Region.

Pyroplex Ltd - Passive Fire Containment Systems