News

New scheme manager to lead influential joinery industry groups

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF) has appointed Hannah Mansell as scheme manager for the BWF-CERTIFIRE Fire Door and Doorset Scheme, and as spokesperson for the highly influential Fire Door Safety Week which will take place again this September.

She replaces John Fletcher at BWF-CERTIFIRE who has retired after almost 20 years’ involvement with the scheme.  

With a wealth of experience of timber and joinery manufacture, Hannah has worked for both large and small companies and has extensive knowledge of manufacturing, developing and testing of joinery products and providing engineering support and project management solutions. Hannah is currently BWF’s technical liaison manager looking after its technical advisory service for joiners and woodworkers.

Hannah Mansell said:

“Following the dreadful fire safety errors and tragedies we have seen over the last few years, there can be absolutely no let-up in our work to raise awareness of the importance of specifying, installing and maintaining high quality, properly certificated fire doors in all buildings. I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to drive the BWF-CERTIFIRE Scheme’s work forward and to grow its reach and influence.”

Iain McIlwee, BWF chief executive, said:

“John Fletcher helped to create the BWF-CERTIFIRE scheme and is one of the most influential people in the fire door industry.

“The scheme was born from an industry scandal 20 years ago – the failure to ensure the correct performance of fire doors and the sale of sub-standard products – but is now the leading third-party certification scheme that consistently pushes up manufacturing standards year on year. We have seen a total transformation in the functioning of this market and the quality of the fire door products now provided into the construction industry, but we must never let complacency slip back in.

“Today, the BWF-CERTIFIRE scheme reaches more than 10,000 people a month through its online information, videos, fact cards, presentations, training, PR and lobbying activities. It runs the industry’s most successful education campaign, Fire Door Safety Week, and the scheme’s research, advice and insights are quoted in Parliamentary debates and supported by Ministers. Through the scheme, about 2 million fire doors are tested and certified each year, approximately 70% of the market.

“Much of the credit for this must go to John and the scheme members he has worked so closely with, and I have no doubt that the scheme will continue to build very rapidly under Hannah’s leadership. Hannah’s skills, knowledge and experience of the joinery industry is an invaluable support for BWF members and all our stakeholders.”

Hannah Mansell will also become scheme manager for the BWF’s new Heritage and Conservation Joinery Group, and for the BWF Stair Scheme, the only stair accreditation and certification scheme of its kind in the UK which works to raise awareness of timber stair standards, to give recognition accreditation to high quality stair manufacturers and to improve safety.