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TechTalk.

Strafford Cooke talks industry hot topics

Burglary Stats Make a Compelling Case for 3 Star Security

The personal finance website Nimblefins has done some really interesting analysis of the domestic burglary statistics contained within the most recent annual Crime Survey for England and Wales. And the figures make a pretty compelling argument in favour of TS007 3 star security on all entrance doors, whether they are at the front or the…

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Burglary Stats Make a Compelling Case for 3 Star Security

The personal finance website Nimblefins has done some really interesting analysis of the domestic burglary statistics contained within the most recent annual Crime Survey for England and Wales. And the figures make a pretty compelling argument in favour of TS007 3 star security on all entrance doors, whether they are at the front or the…

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CE or UKCA? – Your Questions Answered

If you read the BBC and other media reports on what they called ‘the government’s post-Brexit climbdown’ on CE/UKCA marking, you might have thought it meant we could all relax and continue using the EU’s CE product safety symbol indefinitely. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. While CE marking will still be allowed on most manufactured…

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Do you know your DDA from your Doc M?

It’s part of my job to advise Mila Hardware on new standards and regulations so that we are always up to date with the latest requirements when designing new products. But even I sometimes struggle with determining what’s a legal requirement and what’s a recommendation which we don’t actually have to adhere to by law….

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No New ADQ – For Now…

But don’t ignore the PAS24: 2022 update

The new and updated version of security standard PAS24: 2022 should be published any day. While the updates are expected to be fairly minimal from a fabrication and installation perspective – higher basic specs for window hardware and additional requirements for doors such as security chains and spy holes – there will be more extensive…

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Make Your Voice Heard on Approved Document Q

If you’re just getting to grips with the upcoming changes to Part L and Part F of the Building Regs – and wondering what Part O even means – you probably won’t want to think about any more legislative changes which might impact on your business. However, I want to sound the alarm that the…

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O, L and F – and Don’t Forget Q

What fabricators need to know about the new Building Regs Anyone who reads the trade press will know that the first of the new Building Regs come into force in June this year. Approved Document O is all about controlling overheating and can mostly be managed through external shading, Approved Document L sets new U-Value/WER…

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What’s the Point of a Patent?

by Sarah Gyde

This is an industry which can rightly be proud of its track record on innovation. Time and again, we prove that we can ride to any legislative, environmental or practical challenge – you’ve only got to think about the development of A-rated windows, self-cleaning glass and anti-microbial hardware.

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In Case You Missed It…

Fabricators have been more than a bit pre-occupied over recent months just getting through the pandemic. They’ve very quickly had to become experts in furlough, health and safety, demand forecasting and supply chain management, not to mention Teams and Zoom. With demand at record levels as well, that’s obviously adding yet another layer of pressure.

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The End of CE Marking?

The very fact that the letters CE actually stand for Conformité Européenne should tell you that this is one of the areas which could change when the Brexit transition period ends at midnight on 31 December 2020.

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Talk is Cheap

Would you buy a car without asking to see proof of ownership or an MOT certificate? Presumably not, unless you’re particularly naïve or endearingly trusting. I think there are very few of us who would actually hand over thousands of pounds to a persuasive salesman without asking him to prove his claims, yet I see…

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BSI Hardware Schemes Under the Spotlight

You’ve probably already seen the press coverage on the two new schemes being launched by BSI relating to hardware. The first is an installer verification scheme for Approved Document Q in the new build and change of use sector, and the second is a Kitemark for building hardware used in windows and doorsets. I’ve had…

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Let’s start educating buyers about ADQ

Secured by Design is arguably still seen by many homeowners as the Gold Standard in home security. That’s largely of course because of the work done by police forces, the SBD, and licence holders like Mila in promoting it over the years; but it also comes down to the fact that it is often used…

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Smart locks – Asking the right questions

Mila has just joined forces with Mighton to distribute its brand new Avia secure smart lock to the window and door trade market in the UK. We’ve done a huge amount of research on what the market needs and we’re very confident that Avia is the best solution for our customers.

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Ignoring the rules could prove VERY expensive

In my last column in October, I talked about a friend of mine who had just moved into a new house only to discover that it had been fitted with windows and doors which were not ADQ compliant. Needless to say, he is now pursuing the matter with the house builders direct to try to…

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ADQ – WHAT ADQ?

A friend of mine moved into a new build house a couple of weeks ago and, being the hardware nut that I am, I couldn’t help but take a close look at what had been fitted to the windows and doors. After all, one of the big attractions of the new house was that it…

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PAS24:2016 – Why you need to act now to win SBD work

Secured by Design has just announced that as of 1 October it will only be accepting PAS24:2016 accreditation on its new developments. By then, it will of course have given the industry more than 2 years to get its act together on the replacement for PAS24:2012, and allowed time for the test houses to get…

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SAFETY FIRST Why safety devices need to be tested regularly

I think Mike Derham, Chairman of Mighton Products, has been doing a great job highlighting the lack of a coherent campaign in the UK to prevent young children falling from windows. He has pointed out that, in the US, there is an ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standard which helps prevents falls, educates…

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Don’t just take their word for it – Why installers should ask their suppliers for proof that products pass the test

I’ve been writing this column in Glass News for nearly five years now, and during that time I think I’ve made it quite clear just how committed I am to promoting best practice in hardware design and installation, and particularly how much I believe in robust and transparent third party testing and auditing of products….

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Does your hardware pass the up to date test?

When a new hardware product is launched, customers have every right to expect that it will have been fully tested to the very latest security and performance standard – that’s standard practice across the industry. What about a product which has been out in the market for several years though and which was tested to…

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Meeting the challenge of Part M

Although Building Regulations are notoriously difficult to read, I think there’s a fairly widespread understanding of Approved Doc M across this industry, and how it applies to the door sector in particular. Essentially, it is all about ensuring that there is an ‘accessible threshold’ installed on the principle entrance doorway and all other external doors,…

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TS007 – Your Questions Answered

Since the advent of lock snapping and bumping and the introduction of TS007 to address the problem, I probably get more questions about cylinders than I do about any other individual item of hardware. Here’s my quick fire guide to help you out. What is TS007? This is a new standard specifically designed to combat…

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Thinking outside the box on Approved Document Q

I would hope that the whole industry knows by now that Approved Document Q (in England and Wales) requires windows and doors fitted in new build developments to have been tested to show compliance with PAS24. As things stand, building control officers can ask the manufacturer to demonstrate compliance and they can use test data…

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Straight talking guide to standards – Part two

In my February TechTalk column, I updated my guide to the standards affecting the manufacture of door sets. This time around, I’m focusing on windows, and the changes which have come into play since I last covered this in Glass News back in 2014.

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Straight talking guide to standards – Part one

It’s been more than 3 years since I wrote my first guide to standards for Glass News and, although the standards market isn’t renowned for how quickly it moves, there have been a few significant changes since then so I thought that now would be a good time to cover the ones that affect door…

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Don’t trust a star without a kite – Why TS007 star ratings are meaningless without a Kitemark

When you buy a security product which is proudly emblazoned with the TS007 logo, you know exactly what you’re buying right?  Well, not exactly. The one, two or three stars attributed to products tested to TS007 indicate that a sample of that product has achieved that standard, not that the product you are buying would…

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Lifetime homes – an opportunity not to be missed

Walking around the FIT Show, I was struck by how many products are now being marketed as achieving the ‘Lifetime Homes’ standard.  This is the standard which aims to make sure that a home being built today will continue to be convenient for a wide range of occupants, which can include young families, wheelchair users…

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Stainless steel hardware – it’s not just about the finish

Take two stainless steel handles – they both function and they both look very similar.  But, in my experience, underneath, they can actually be as different as two pieces of furniture – one which is crafted from a piece of solid oak timber sawn, planed and sanded into shape, dove-tail jointed and lovingly waxed and…

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Is the hardware you’re buying up to the standard?

Without third party accreditation, how can you tell? If you’re buying – or indeed selling – a product which has been PAS24, TS007, BSEN1906 or BSEN1935 approved, then it’s understandable to assume that it has been rigorously tested to meet that standard.

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PAS24: 2016 comes into force – what does it mean for fabricators and installers?

The revised PAS24:2016 standard was published in February and the new 2016 SBD design guides are being printed as I write, so now is an exciting time to be in security hardware. For fabricators and installers faced with complying with the new rules however, I do understand that it can all seem like a bit…

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