Surely it is misleading for a manufacturer to claim, or at least imply, as has been the case in a recent ad campaign, that an acoustically activated, electrically powered door hold open device can be legally used to prop open a fire door because the device complies with BS-EN 1155. This standard refers to the hold open device only, and unlike BS 7273 part 4, makes no reference to the actuation method, which is critical to the safe operation of the device and the safety of the building.
Clause 4.5 of BS-EN 1155 states that grade 1 devices, the only grade of device recognised by the standard, are suitable for use on fire/smoke door assemblies, subject to satisfactory assessment of the contribution of the electrically powered hold-open device to the fire resistance of specified fire/smoke door assemblies. For those of us whose first language is English, this means that the use of these devices needs to be subject to a suitable risk assessment, but how many purchasers of these devices would be able to get hold of a copy of the standard or understand what that sentence means in practice, and how many fire risk assessors are sufficiently knowledgeable and conversant with BS 7273 part 4 to adequately risk assess the suitability of such devices for use in various situations?
