TS007 – Your Questions Answered

Since the advent of lock snapping and bumping and the introduction of TS007 to address the problem, I probably get more questions about cylinders than I do about any other individual item of hardware. Here’s my quick fire guide to help you out. What is TS007? This is a new standard specifically designed to combat the problem with cylinder snapping and lock manipulation in the UK. Endorsed by Secured by Design, the Door and Hardware Federation and the GGF, the latest version is TS007: 2014 + A1: 2015 and its official title is: ‘Enhanced security performance requirements for replacement cylinders and/or associated security hardware’. Continue reading…


Thinking outside the box on Approved Document Q

I would hope that the whole industry knows by now that Approved Document Q (in England and Wales) requires windows and doors fitted in new build developments to have been tested to show compliance with PAS24. As things stand, building control officers can ask the manufacturer to demonstrate compliance and they can use test data which has been cascaded from their systems or hardware supplier.
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Straight talking guide to standards – Part two

In my February TechTalk column, I updated my guide to the standards affecting the manufacture of door sets. This time around, I’m focusing on windows, and the changes which have come into play since I last covered this in Glass News back in 2014. Continue reading…


Straight talking guide to standards – Part one

It’s been more than 3 years since I wrote my first guide to standards for Glass News and, although the standards market isn’t renowned for how quickly it moves, there have been a few significant changes since then so I thought that now would be a good time to cover the ones that affect door manufacture.  I’ll cover windows in a future issue. Continue reading…


Don’t trust a star without a kite – Why TS007 star ratings are meaningless without a Kitemark

When you buy a security product which is proudly emblazoned with the TS007 logo, you know exactly what you’re buying right?  Well, not exactly.

The one, two or three stars attributed to products tested to TS007 indicate that a sample of that product has achieved that standard, not that the product you are buying would definitely do so.  That is because third party certification is not mandatory within TS007 so you have no real way of knowing whether the product you’re actually buying is exactly the same as the sample which passed the test. Continue reading…


Lifetime homes – an opportunity not to be missed

Walking around the FIT Show, I was struck by how many products are now being marketed as achieving the ‘Lifetime Homes’ standard.  This is the standard which aims to make sure that a home being built today will continue to be convenient for a wide range of occupants, which can include young families, wheelchair users and the elderly.

It’s more demanding than Part M of the Building Regulations which only covers accessibility of buildings; and it addresses future adaptability and design features to make a home flexible enough to meet the changing needs of occupants at different stages of their lives as well as the needs of any future occupants. Continue reading…