Third party certification

The team at BRE Certification introduces the concept of third party certification, useful to regulators, insurers, lenders, clients, specifiers, contractors and manufacturers.

Buildings are complicated and expensive purchases, so it is important to get the best value for money both at the build stage and during operation. Mistakes made at procurement can make construction more time consuming and are costly to rectify. Specifying products and services which are already approved to the appropriate standards will save you time and money spent searching, assessing and selecting products and services which don’t have this approval.

Third party certification (or approval as it is also known) is independent third party confirmation that a product, system, service or installer meets the appropriate standard. It is different from a one-off test because approval helps ensure, through regular audits, that the product continues to comply with the standards, which are themselves subject to revision and update. The auditing process also helps to confirm that the product available in the marketplace is identical to the product which was originally tested and approved.

BRE Certification

BRE Certification (incorporating LPCB) is a sister company to BRE. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the BRE Trust, which is a registered research and education charity.

BRE Certification has two main brands: BRE Certification for technical approvals of construction products, environmental certification and management systems certification; and the LPCB horseshoe, which is used for fire and security products and services.

The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) came into being in the late 1980s following a reorganization of the insurance trade bodies. It joined BRE Certification on 31 March 2000. For over 150 years LPCB and its predecessor the Fire Offices’ Committee (FOC) have been working with specifiers to set the Loss Prevention Standards (LPS) necessary to ensure that fire and security products will work effectively.

BRE Certification also sets standards, and tests to relevant British, European or International Standards. Standards setting, both by LPCB and BRE Certification, is overseen by boards of experts, including regulators, insurers and authoritative bodies.

Our approval process involves rigorous assessment and testing of products and services to ensure that they meet the relevant standards. For a product to be approved by us, the manufacturer must demonstrate adequate control of factory production processes. This is not the same as a manufacturer having an ISO 9000 Quality Management Certificate. Since most of our approvals are for life and property safety, it is imperative that a satisfactory level of factory production control is in place for the products and services being approved.

Red Books

Once we are satisfied that a product, service or company meets the required standard, we issue a certificate and list it in the relevant ‘Red Book’, either Volume 1: List of approved fire and security products and services or Volume 2: Companies, construction products, environmental profiles and assessments.

The Red Books are available free of charge to specifiers and other users. They are published in January each year and on CD ROM in January and July of each year.

They are mailed out to a database of many thousands of specifiers, insurers, architects, surveyors, engineers and regulators. Many more copies are handed out at exhibitions, seminars and presentations, with our online version www.RedBookLive.com accessed by thousands of additional global users. This website is a live copy of the Red Books and is updated on a daily basis.

Our expertise also enables us to operate a range of certification schemes in the energy, environmental and sustainability sectors. These approvals are listed in the Green Book at: www.GreenBookLive.com. The Green Book enables specifiers and end users to identify products and services that can help to reduce environmental impact (energy, emissions, waste and water).

Listing in both the Red and Green Books is a very useful marketing tool for the approved companies as thousands of specifiers and insurers around the world use them to select products and services. Choosing approved products, systems, services or installers sends a positive message to influencers and stakeholders such as regulators, insurers, lenders, customers and suppliers. It also offers intangible benefits in terms of staff morale and visitor perception, and promotes a positive feel for the organization.

So, how do you check whether a product, system, service or installer is approved by LPCB or BRE Certification? Unfortunately, there are many false claims of approval out in the market place, including ‘tested by LPCB’, ‘tested to’ an LPS or ‘complies with’ an LPS. An easy way to ensure that the product, service or company is approved is to check our websites.

If you are still unsure, then please contact the BRE Certification helpdesk on +44 (0) 1923 664100. Each approved product, service or company will also hold a certificate.

Related NBS information:

Articles:

• Before you start building "green"

Selected links:

• Building materials

Written May 2007

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