SPONSOR CPD PROGRAMME Continuing professional development (CPD) is the regular maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills, to maintain professional competence. It is a requirement of CIBSE and other professional bodies. This Journal CPD programme can be used to meet your CPD requirements. Study the module and answer the questions on A reflection on current standards for fire- and smokerated ductwork in the UK The importance of applying and assuring appropriate standards to building services has probably never had such a high profile. Ventilation ductwork in the UK must be specified and installed so as to protect the buildings occupants in the event of a fire or smoke incident, to the satisfaction of the building control authority and the relevant fire officer. However, in these transitional times, there may be some uncertainty as to what standards are appropriate to ensure that designers evidence their competency and compliance to ensure life safety. The standards as discussed in this article provide a reflection of the status quo in the provision of fire- and smoke-rated ductwork for UK buildings, so as to assist in understanding which should be applied for installations to be specified correctly. This is a discipline where, more than most, there is a need to call on the services of a suitably qualified professional fire engineer to oversee the design and installation. Whatever route is taken, it is vital that, in the process, the rationale is documented. The recent consultation document Code for Construction Product Information1 sets out proposals in an 11-point code for clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous product information, and provides an indicator of the quality, depth and longevity of product information that should live on with ductwork installations. Currently, harmonised EU standards, as required by EU regulation 305/2011 the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) define how to manufacture products, CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS REGULATION The CPR lays down conditions for construction products by establishing harmonised rules on how to express their performance in relation to their essential characteristics, which is Mechanical resistance and stability Protection against noise completed module is equivalent to 1.5 hours of CPD. Modules are also available at www.cibsejournal.com/cpd and allows an associated CE mark to confirm that the product has an EU Declaration of Conformity (see panel, Construction Products Regulation). The exact pathway for future UK standardised marking is still being evolved. However, there will be a UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking, requiring an appropriate UK Declaration of Conformity document, with the information required on the UK Declaration of Conformity being largely the same as what is required on a EU Declaration of Conformity. Products placed in the UK market can typically use CE marking in the UK until 1 January 2022.2 There are a number of standards that apply to fire- and smoke-rated ductwork. The standards referred to in this article are listed in the Key standards panel, together with their full title. To avoid repetition, the references to the standards in the body of the article will use just the reference number. There are three principal applications for fire ductwork in buildings: Fire-rated ventilation ductwork that passes through fire compartment walls or floors and will have a prescribed fire-resistance period. Where ducts pass through the structure, the fire-performance criteria Sustainable use of natural resources Safety and accessibility in use CIBSE April 21 pp65-68 CPD 177.indd 65 www.cibsejournal.com April 2021 65 26/03/2021 14:47