Research project NO/A/001 (Research action NO)
Context
In order to assure the free movement of goods and services in the construction sector, the European Commission has issued a "Construction Products Directive". This directive groups together all legal prescriptions to which construction products are subject in one of the Member States.
The "Safety in the event of fire" requirement affects the area with the strongest trade barriers. Indeed, in all European countries "Fire safety" belongs within the field of regulation, and both the safety regulations and test and classification methods differ widely from one Member State to another. Hence the necessity of drafting a very extensive series of European testing standards and product standards. These CEN standards will have a substantial impact on the markets.
It is impossible for our national regulators and for the Belgian industry to keep up with all these activities.
The project
This study has three objectives:
- to make an inventory of the activities and parties interested in the standardisation work;
- to evaluate the economic importance of the sectors involved and the potential consequences of standardisation for industry and government;
- to propose policy measures.
This study lists the bodies where the standardisation, technical approval and certification activities are taking place. The industrial sectors which will experience the consequences of this standardisation are identified and their economic importance is estimated. The relevant national fire safety regulations are indicated.
The partners
The research was performed by the Fuels and Heat Transfer Application Laboratory of the University of Ghent and the Institut du Génie Civil, Ponts et Charpentes of the University of Liège.
The research includes the following sub-areas:
1. Building elements: arithmetical determination of the resistance to fire (Liège);
2. Building elements: experimental determination of the resistance to fire (Ghent);
3. Building elements: reaction in case of fire (Ghent);
4. Automatic detection and extinguishing installations (Liège);
5. Smoke and heat dissipation installations (Liège);
6. Fire safety engineering methods (Ghent).
Each of the partners took charge of three sub-areas.
Expected products and results
The final report of the study includes an extensive inventory of persons, standardisation committees, national, European and international, testing and certification bodies which are active in this field. It includes for the various sectors and subsectors an evaluation of the economic importance and an assessment of the potential consequences of the European standardisation which is in progress.
The final report contains a series of recommendations aimed at the government, the building products industry and the construction sector in general, which can promote a smooth transition to the single market and offer our industries optimal opportunities.
Scientific collaboration
For collecting the information, the partners called upon the Ministries of Interior Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, Economic Affairs, and upon the numerous industry groups in this sector.
On the European level, information was obtained from EGOLF (European Group of Official Laboratories for Fire Testing).
Inventaris van de normalisatie en certificatie in België en in Europa met betrekking tot het basisdocument "Brandveiligheid" van de Bouwproduktenrichtlijn : eindverslag
Brussel : Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, 2007 (SP1813)
[Exhausted]
Inventaire de la normalisation et de la certification en Belgique et en Europe en relation avec le document de base "Sécurité en cas d'incendie" de la Directive "Produit de construction" : rapport final
Bruxelles : Politique scientifique fédérale, 2007 (SP1814)
[Exhausted]
