FPA’s testing rigs for cladding receive reaccreditation from UKAS

Featuring two full-height test rigs capable of testing Part 1 and Part 2 of BS 8414:2015 (with 2017 amendments) and BS 8414:2020, the cladding testing facility is now fully operational, with all of the FPA’s testing services being delivered from the single site in Blockley.

Rachel Brooks, head of operations and compliance at the FPA, has explained that the UKAS reaccreditation process formed an “essential step in validating” the new and enhanced facility at the FPA’s Fire Testing Laboratory.

“Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 is a key benchmark,” observed Brooks, “demonstrating that our laboratory operates with the competence, impartiality and consistency required to produce reliable and repeatable test results. For our clients, this provides assurance that testing is carried out to the highest recognised standards.”

Ongoing UKAS accreditation involves regular assessment and auditing to ensure that the processes, controls and technical capabilities of the testing facility are continually reviewed and maintained. According to Brooks, the FPA’s commitment to doing this “underpins the integrity” of the organisation’s BS 8414 testing service, giving clients confidence that their systems have been “independently and rigorously” assessed.

Josh Mason, lead cladding technician at the FPA, observed: “Subsequent to the UKAS [accreditation] test, we received some very positive feedback. UKAS highly commended us on our technical resilience, thorough documentation, a high level of professionalism and compliance when following our procedures, as well as our high levels when it comes to Health and Safety.”

Mason added that the reaccreditation by UKAS confirms the FPA’s cladding testing rigs have “reached the high standards expected”.

Fire performance

As stated, the FPA is accredited by UKAS to carry out BS 8414 testing, which tests the fire performance of external cladding on buildings. Indeed, the FPA is one of very few organisations currently offering such cladding testing facilities in the UK and Northern Ireland.

The FPA carries out material identification analysis on materials subjected to BS 8414 testing to produce a chemical ‘fingerprint’ of what has been tested. This ensures the integrity of all reports.

Successfully testing cladding systems to BS 8414 demonstrates that they meet the minimum life safety requirements set out in the Building Regulations. With the ultimate aim of enhancing the fire safety of tall buildings through external cladding systems and improving building resilience, the FPA and RISCAuthority jointly recommend that systems are assessed against RISC 501 in order to wholly demonstrate their ability to prevent fire spread to multiple floors.

*Further information is available online at www.thefpa.co.uk