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Competence Jargon Buster

Competence Jargon Buster
About:

Building or Product Competence is about complying with Directives, Regulations, Building Regulation, Approved Documents, Tertiary Documents, Codes of Practice, Standards.

Company Competence is about complying with ISO 9001 Quality management or FPC; ISO 14000 Environmental Management; Health and Safety management; ISO 26000 Corporate Social Management

DEMONSTRATION OF COMPETENCE:

Standards set requirements, e.g. materials, methods, sizes, tolerance,

Independent 3rd party testing and certification provides evidence of competence e.g. BSI Kitemarks, Agrément Certificates, European Technical Approvals, other technical certification e.g. timber stewardship, BWF Certifier, FIRAS, CARES, natureplus, FIRA, etc. CE marking, and potentially accredited installer application.

BSI Kitemarks confirm conformity to ALL the requirements of the standard, Kitemark is backed up by ISO 9000 so they meet all the requirements consistently

Standards can also set performance requirements e.g. 30 minute fire resistant door/sets

Test evidence or assessment by independent competent 3rd parties confirms compliance with the performance requirement

BBA Agrément Certificates brake the Regulations or Codes of Practice or Standards, make up their own rules, determine and sets out the outer limits of the new rules and confirm competence within them.

However many manufacturers choose an Agrément Certificate for normal products that could have used a BSI Kitemark

Specifications can set combinations of any requirement you like including compliance with standards or Agrément certificates or project materials or performance requirements

Declarations of Conformity (DoC) signed by contractors declare compliance with the specification.

BLP insure buildings and use Component Life Manuals to judge life expectancy

Compliance with standards with a BSI Kitemark or an BBA Agrément certificate gets the longest life expectancy = competency

Compliance with BWF Certifier by many component parts by many different accredited manufacturers and competent accredited installers means the fire performance of a fire door made my many or a fire doorset made by one will meet the specified fire performance.