INSTALLERS AND MAINTENANCE WORKERS OF FIRE RESISTANT OPENABLE DOORS AND WINDOWS AND / OR FOR THE CONTROL OF SMOKE DISPERSION
In 2014, the Italian Standardization Body UNI published standard UNI 11473-3:2014 “Fire-resistant opening doors and windows and/or for smoke control – Part 3: Requirements for knowledge, skills and competence of the installer and maintenance technician.”
The UNI 11473 standard “Fire-resistant opening doors and windows and/or for smoke control” is divided into three parts. Part 3 specifically deals with the training of personnel performing the service, defining the requirements of knowledge, skills, and competence – in accordance with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) – related to the professional activity of the installer and maintenance technician of fire-resistant doors and/or smoke control doors.
The law 4/2013 “Provisions on non-organized professions”, which regulates non-recognized professions, establishes that, in the presence of a UNI technical standard governing a profession, the professional may obtain a certification issued by an accredited body.
Advantages of certification according to UNI 11473-3:2014
Certification according to this standard complements and integrates fire safety legislation and represents an important innovation.
FOR OPERATORS, who now have a reference standard for their interventions on these important safety devices, which, in order to be effective, must be regularly maintained as well as correctly installed and equipped.
FOR COMPANIES, which are not only more protected, but also gain a significant added value in the professional positioning of the installer/maintenance technician and, consequently, of the company in the market.
FOR USERS (civil and industrial), for whom the standard provides an important tool for evaluating fire protection systems and ensures greater safety and protection of their investments, relying on professionals whose competence is guaranteed by certification.
Certification according to UNI 11473-3: an exam to assess requirements, skills and competences
As stated at the beginning of the article, standard 11473-3 defines the requirements, skills, and competences of two professional roles: the installer and the maintenance technician. For both professional roles, two profiles are foreseen: operative technician responsible for interventions and operative technician executing interventions.
But what is, in practical terms, certification according to UNI 11473-3? In fact, it is an examination.
a written test with multiple-choice questions;
a practical test assessing two main competences: a manual operation of installation and/or maintenance of fire-resistant doors, verifying the ability to use both tools and appropriate equipment for the intervention; and the drafting of a technical report with the attached specific documentation.