Dame Judith Hackitt Headlines Official Opening of UKTC's New Fire Resistance Lab

United Kingdom Testing & Certification, a SOCOTEC company, celebrated the official opening of their new fire resistance laboratory on the 9^th of July. The day was marked with a ceremony that seen over 100 colleagues and guests from across the industry attend to witness a live fire test and a keynote speech delivered by Dame Judith Hackitt.

The new combination furnace, one of the only commercially available in the UK, was unveiled with a curtain drop to start the day off with Ellen Johnson, UKTC’s Compliance Officer and longest standing employee given the privilege of pressing the big red button to drop the curtain and launch the confetti.

Ellen shared, “It’s an honour to be asked to take part in today’s event alongside individuals that are at the forefront of the industry. Although I was the person that pressed the button, I was representing every one of my past and current colleagues that have contributed to the growth of UKTC over the last 6 years.”

Following the grand reveal, guests took to their seats situated in the new laboratory and listened intently as Andrew Hutchison, UKTC Operations Director, introduced Dame Judith Hackitt.

Dame Judith’s presentation covered the progress made so far in the construction and testing industry in the wake of regulatory reform as well as the need for culture change, competence levels and the journey the industry is on to make the built environment safer for everyone.

On why test laboratories matter now more than ever, Dame Judith commented,

“This is why facilities like this are going to be so much in demand because everything is being looked at again in terms of the efficacy and the reliability of the way that we test and assure products in this sector."

Lunch came street food style, with Pizza and Taco food trucks fuelling the networking hour. There were prizes up for grabs too, from discounted fire tests to Tunnock’s Teacakes. Guests made the most of the Scottish sunshine, swapping notes with construction industry peers before heading back into the laboratory to watch a 5m fire resistance test led by UKTC’s Head of Testing, Daniel Fitzsimmons.

The day wrapped up with an expert panel Q&A where the audience had the opportunity to have their burning questions answered by the panel. Dame Judith Hackitt, Stephen Garvin, Head of Building Standards at the Scottish Government, Dr. Andrew Taylor of the ASFP, and Beth Dean of Maze Consulting made up the panel of experts. Topics including CE marking, BS EN 13501 classifications and further regulatory reform made for great debate and insight from the panel.

Andrew Hutchison, UKTC Operations Director, said, “It’s been great to share this milestone moment for the UK’s fire safety industry with so many dedicated professionals.

This investment will directly contribute to a safer built environment by significantly increasing the testing capacity within the UK for manufacturers.”

Matthew Marriott, CEO of SOCOTEC UK & Ireland, added: “This investment represents our commitment to providing the most advanced fire testing capabilities available, we can now provide a massively expanded service to key clients across the construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors – helping them achieve their critical fire safety compliance needs.

“With building safety regulations continuing the evolve, it is important to continue our investment into cutting-edge technology that helps us stand out from our competitors. This second firehall is a statement from us, that UKTC and the wider SOCOTEC business will continue to remain at the forefront of development and service offering.”