PAS 24:2012 WILL NO LONGER BE RECOGNISED BY SECURED BY DESIGN FROM 1ST OCTOBER 2018
Westcoast Windows composite windows and doors are tested and independently certified to the new PAS 24:2016 Enhanced security performance requirements for doorsets and windows in the UK.
(Accurate at time of publishing)
In March 2016 PAS 24:2016 was launched and PAS 24:2012 was withdrawn by the BSI. Despite this, both have still been accepted by Secured by Design (SBD) as they understood that it was important to allow time for test bodies to gain their own UKAS accreditation to begin testing to the new requirements. Now, over two years on, SBD has taken the step to withdraw PAS 24:2012 from all its future guidance.
PAS 24:2016 is a Publicly Available Specification that provides test methods and acceptable criteria relevant to the enhanced security performance of doorsets and windows intended to resist methods of attack experienced or associated with the casual or opportunistic burglar. This scenario is set out in Approved Document Q – Security – Dwellings, the statutory guidance document that supports the The Building Regulations 2010, and it identifies the use of PAS 24 as the standard for doorset and window security.
APPROVED DOCUMENT Q STATES:
Doors and windows will meet requirement Q1 if they can resist physical attack by a casual or opportunist burglar by being both:
- Sufficiently robust
- Fitted with appropriate hardware
In addition, frames should be mechanically fixed to the structure in accordance with the manufacturer’s written instructions.
PAS 24 is applicable to new window and doorsets and only prior to installation. It is only applicable to complete window and doorsets and addresses whether entry through the door or window is possible by manipulation of a lock cylinder. It does not look at entry by deliberate breaking of the glass, lock picking using tools only available to a locksmith or by attack on the frame fixing. It is also not a test of component performance or installation requirements.
The changes to the new PAS 24:2016 are:
- Single option to ensure all doorsets can be used with easy egress hardware
- A number of test methods have been simplified
- There is a wider scope, increasing the range of security doorsets and windows to be covered
- Building Regulations Approved Document Q primary reference is PAS 24 and the intended wider scope effectively enables more products to use this option to demonstrate compliance
- It addresses the requirement for easy egress from all new build dwellings instigated by the NHBC (National House Building Council) by ensuring all doorsets are suitable for use with thumb turn cylinders and other easy egress hardware
- A number of test methods have been simplified and introduce more robust requirements for letter plates
All principle Westcoast Windows composite windows and doors have been successfully tested to PAS 24:2016 and Westcoast Windows are also a Secured by Design licence holder, an award that requires member companies to regularly undertake re-testing and auditing through independent UKAS accredited 3rd party certification schemes to ensure consistency of product quality and performance.
For further guidance download our Building Regulations Guidance Notes on Approved Document Q – Security.
To view our SBD approved composite windows and doors: PERFORMANCE & TESTING DATASHEET
