2005 IS AN IMPORTANT year for intruder alarm installers, with BS 4737 (the standard governing intruder alarm installation) and other conflicting British Standards being superseded by European Standards, writes Steve Kimber. If UK installers aren’t working to PD6662 by October, they’ll not be able to issue certificates of compliance to obtain Unique Reference Numbers for end users’ alarms, thus freezing themselves out of the market.

PD6662 is the enabling document that calls up – among others – EN50131-1 and DD243. It provides a means to install to an as-yet-incomplete set of European Standards. In practical terms, one of the major changes is that installers are allowed to maintain a remotely signalled system through one remote service visit and one on-site service visit, thereby enabling them to change their working practices.

In addition, there’s a need to focus more heavily during system design on power requirements and the signalling of power.

There’s also a requirement to properly document the risk assessment carried out at a customer’s premises, and to clearly show why the system was designed to a particular grade. It will only be a matter of time before an installer is taken to task in a Court of Law because they under-specified an installation in order to keep the price down and win the job, rather than carry out a proper risk assessment of the premises in question.

Consumers really do want professional advice based on their declared risk. That being the case, it’s imperative installers document what’s known to them at the time of the survey, and clearly explain to the customer – in writing – what the system is designed to do... and even what it’s not designed to do!

BSIA installers are being encouraged to attend the many seminars available throughout the country detailing all necessary changes so that they’re ready for the new legislation as and when it bites.

Source

SMT

Postscript

Steve Kimber is md of Southern Monitoring Services and chairman of the BSIA’s Security Systems Section