BSI Group - Experts & Thought Leaders

Anthony Smith, Managing Director of global fire and safety audio specialist - Vox Ignis, has been confirmed as Chair of BSI FSH/12/5, the committee responsible for codes of practice for the design, installation, servicing and maintenance of voice alarm evacuation systems and emergency communication systems in buildings. As Chair, he will also sit on FSH/12, the committee that co-ordinates the UK participation of the BS EN 54 series of standards. Over 30 years, Anthony Smith has become an expert in audio technology and legislation contributing to standards development within CEN and CENELEC. He has also been president of the Institute of Sound & Communications Engineers and is a Member of the Audio Engineering Society. Extensive industry experience Anthony Smith's appointment comes after many years of developing British and international standards Anthony Smith's appointment comes after many years of guiding and developing British and international standards and codes of practice. His past roles have included being a UK expert on CEN/TC 72 Working Group covering voice alarm, loudspeakers, sounders, and beacons; as well as being a Committee Member on FSH/12/5 for over 15 years.  On EPL/100, he was Convenor of the EPL/100 drafting panel responsible for BS 6259 (sound systems) and CLC/BTTF 133-1, which developed EN 50849 sound systems for emergency purposes. life-saving regulations Anthony Smith said: "I’m delighted to be continuing to contribute to the important work of FSH/12/5 and honored to have been confirmed by BSI as Committee Chair. Voice communications are increasingly recognized as the best way to manage people in an emergency and the standards and codes of practice regimes around voice alarm, emergency voice communications and assistance alarms are changing relatively quickly as our built environment and the systems protecting it become more complicated." He adds, "My work over 30 years in developing audio safety products, codes of practice and standards is something I’m very proud of. I would encourage any stakeholder in the industry to get involved in the future creation and amendment of our life-saving regulations. I would also like to thank the former chair Andy Scott for his work as chair over many years." Input of stakeholders Christopher Smith-Wong, Lead Standards Development Manager within BSI’s Built Environment sector, said: "British Standards are globally respected because of the expert input of stakeholders from across the field." He adds, "Tony has been a vocal and important member of FSH/12/5 for many years and with his long experience across the field, his work on other standards, codes and practice and industry bodies is an excellent choice to chair the committee. I congratulate him and look forward to working with him."

At FireRite, they are passionate about life safety, and that’s why they want to ensure businesses out there are up-to-date with their fire safety training, because only then will they be adhering to the government’s latest fire safety regulations. Extending the FireRite team FireRite has developed and expanded since its inception in 1999. Initially focusing on fire extinguisher and fire alarms, they now offer a package of consultancy and Passive fire requirements. It was imperative being in the life safety industry that they brought in the right people at the right time with competence. This drives the correct culture of leadership, training, tools, behavior and experience. FireRite places massive emphasis on training FireRite places massive emphasis on training and their work force development program FireRite places massive emphasis on training and their work force development program has seen a mixed blend of experienced workers, apprentices and new to the industry flourish with their training enrichment. They stand by the philosophy of providing ongoing professional development opportunities for all their team. They are always on the look-out for the best talent in the fire sector and share the same values as them for life safety. For anyone who thinks they are a good fit for the FireRite team, please get in touch with them. The FireRite team has vast experience working within the fire industry and offer opportunities to fulfill ambitions with their growth strategy. Some benefits of working with FireRite: Focus on Mental Health in the workplace They take the practice of mindfulness and the concept of well-being very seriously here at FireRite. They are an approved Partner of Samten mindfulness, free for all of their staff. As a result of this, they offer their staff a variety of well-being and relaxation measures they can access, whenever they feel the need to do so. The FireRite team works as a community, ensuring they support each other. Continually expanding and growing FireRite are held in high regard in the fire safety industry across the UK FireRite are delighted to report that they are held in high regard in the fire safety industry across the UK. In February 2024, they will celebrate their 25 Year Anniversary, they have built a solid reputation for quality, customer service and integrity over this time, both with a very loyal customer base and valued workforce of plus 80 skilled competent staff. Award-winning Team For two years running – in both 2020 and 2021 – FireRite picked up the accolade of Best Fire Safety & Compliance Consultancy Business at the Welsh Enterprise Awards. Associations that they are part of or accredited with include BAFE, BSI, ECA, FIRAS, Constructionline, SAFE contractor and NSI. Get in touch At FireRite - they want to ensure the safety of your Business. The starting point for any fire consultation is an audit of the existing arrangements; they can provide this in the form of a fire risk assessment. They will then provide a follow up and discuss the findings and how they can help with any actions. Fire safety for premises and staff isn’t something that can wait – fire, after all, could strike at any time.

BSI, the business improvement and standards company, has unveiled SCREEN News, a new service in the BSI Connect supply chain portfolio. Available as a monthly subscription service, SCREEN News offers unlimited access to supply chain intelligence articles, personalized daily email updates, and special risk reports. With the ability to sort by interactive news filters, the new service will provide organizations with the on-demand insight and visibility needed to better understand global threats and proactively mitigate risks to ensure supply chain resilience. trends and threats impacting global supply chains “SCREEN News enables organizations to accelerate their understanding of risks and gain insights to empower decision-making and build a more resilient supply chain,” said Jim Yarbrough, Global Intelligence Program Manager at BSI. “Whether you’re dealing with issues of cargo theft, forced labor or looking to build a more sustainable and transparent supply chain, SCREEN News provides an on-the-minute first look at the trends and threats impacting global supply chains.” drivers of supply chain disruption  SCREEN News continuously monitors the four main drivers of supply chain disruption to help organizations stay up to date with emerging threats and better protect their supply chain, brand, and reputation, including: Security incidents such as theft, counterfeiting, terrorism, piracy; Corporate social responsibility incidents such as trafficking forced and child labor; Business continuity risks like political and economic instability, man-made and natural disasters; and Food incidents such as fraud and theft. entry-level subscription As the entry-level subscription in the comprehensive BSI Connect SCREEN product offering, SCREEN News is available immediately, starting at USD 999 per year. The high-level intelligence provided by the news component can be expanded to include additional, more targeted, and granular data, including the following upgrades: SCREEN Intelligence: includes SCREEN News as well as interactive risk mapping, country risk ratings and profiles, and four modules, within a customizable interface; SCREEN Edge: infuses SCREEN Intelligence with supplier audit functionality. This includes an unlimited number of supplier audits per year, personalized alerts and notifications, custom or pre-configured audits, automatic translation, and unique dashboards and reports. maximize visibility The database uses proprietary supply chain risk intelligence to look at over 20 threat ratings in more than 200 countries Importers, manufacturers, governments, and associations use the BSI Connect SCREEN platform to quantify the global risk of supply chain incidents. The database uses proprietary supply chain risk intelligence to look at over 20 threat ratings in more than 200 countries and has collected more than 50 thousand recorded incidents in its ten-plus-year history. By infusing geographic risk data and analysis into the assessment process, combined with historical data, organizations can track compliance and risk throughout the supply chain to maximize visibility and focus on the most significant issues confronting them. end-to-end services The BSI Connect SCREEN platform is designed to deliver an end-to-end suite of services that provide organizations with best-practice advice, training, tools, and solutions that will allow them to assess, monitor, and efficiently manage supply chain risks. In addition, SCREEN connects users with an extensive network of BSI subject matter experts who regularly contribute insights to the platform.

Construction product regulations in the United Kingdom include equipment for fire prevention and repression. The emphasis is on fire testing of wall coverings and other products. Testing requirements complement the UK’s new Building Safety Act, covering wiring, ducting, pipes, etc.  British Standards Institute (BSI) is involved in writing standards covering how things are made and tested to ensure compliance with UK requirements. Among the products tested are control and indicating equipment, emergency lighting, fire detection and alarms, electronic and IT equipment, domestic alarms, fire alarm installation and firefighting equipment. “Fire engineering is not as good as it could be,” says Graham McKay, Global Head of Energy Products for BSI Group. “There’s a lot of work to be done, and a lot of learning to be done.” Formation and transitioning to UKCA mark Formation of the UKCA mark followed, indicating conformity with the applicable requirement for products Before Brexit in 2020, regulations on product safety and performance in the United Kingdom had been aligned with the European Union since 1974. Emblematic of that alignment was the use of the traditional CE mark on a variety of manufactured goods throughout the European Union, including the UK. Along with Brexit came the need to create a UK-only mark that served a similar purpose to the customary CE mark. Formation of the UKCA mark followed, indicating conformity with the applicable requirement for products sold in Great Britain. However, transitioning to the new mark has not been easy, and the government has delayed the deadline four times on the path to implementation. Economic issues and the global pandemic were among the factors contributing to the delays. New framework Among the fire equipment requiring the UKCA mark is personal protective equipment (PPE) such as respirators, gloves, boots, etc. As it stands now, as of Jan. 1, 2023, new products sold in the United Kingdom must use the new UKCA mark. Existing products have five more years to complete the transition, by 2027. Along with the new UKCA mark comes a new framework of standards and regulations on hundreds of products. Initially, the new framework is almost identical to the EU regulations relating to the CE mark. However, as time passes, the two marks will represent diverging paths reflecting the differing priorities in the EU and the UK. For example, the EU will focus more on environmental issues and sustainability, while the UK will shift its focus to fire safety, driven by changing trends after the Grenfell Tower disaster. Factor Slowing The Implementation The UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) enforces the use of the mark A factor slowing the implementation of the UKCA mark has been fewer “approved bodies,” companies that can evaluate products and manufacturers and award the mark. Currently, there are only four approved bodies in the United Kingdom, far fewer than the 48 “notified bodies” previously available to award the CE mark. The lower capacity could cause bottlenecks as the 2023 deadline approaches.   The UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) enforces the use of the mark. Enforcement is not particularly aggressive and is mostly driven by complaints. Legal repercussions of non-compliance generally amount to a fine. The OPSS rarely takes enforcement action against a company that makes a genuine mistake. The emphasis is to provide education about the benefits of the mark.   Pending UKCA certificates “It’s difficult to know how many companies still need to get the mark, although thousands of UKCA certificates have been issued,” says Graham McKay, Global Head of Energy Products for BSI Group. “Companies like certainty, and many of them are taking the approach to get the certificate. We had a very big rush before the first deadline, less by the second and third (following postponements). There have been no big spikes as the new deadline approaches.”  McKay admits that some companies have delayed pursuing the required UKCA certificates because they “hope it might all go away.” But he reiterates that the reality is that it is not going to go away and therefore, companies need “to be planning for and taking the necessary steps to obtain the mark for their products”. “The easiest solution is to get the piece of paper certifying your product,” says McKay. BSI Group BSI is a notified body in the Netherlands and can provide both UKCA and CE certificates in a single “package” based product BSI Group is a business improvement and standards company that enables organizations to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. BSI has driven best practices in organizations around the world, working with over 77,500 clients across 195 countries. They have assessors in 90-plus countries to evaluate products.   The company operates both inside and outside the European Union. For example, they are a “notified body” in the Netherlands and can provide a company with both UKCA and CE certificates in a single “package” based on one product evaluation and factory inspection. Whether a product receives the CE or the UKCA mark depends on where they want to sell their products. Mutual Recognition British Standards Institution (BSI) is the national standards body of the United Kingdom. BSI produces technical standards on a range of products and services and also supplies certification and standards-related services to businesses. For companies not wanting to have their products retested for the UKCA mark, BSI has proactively made “mutual recognition” agreements with similar organizations, including IMQ Group in Italy and DVGW in Germany. The move helps to minimize the need for duplicate or repeat testing.