RH Consulting Publishes White Paper To Clarify New EN 54 Standards For Audio Professionals

The EN 54 product approval standards for voice alarm equipment were first released in 2008. However, they have only become enforceable since April 1st 2011 when these voice alarm standards were enforced under the Construction Products Directive (CPD).

This has caused a considerable amount of confusion within the industry as whether or not products need to comply with EN 54 standards, which for manufacturers is an extremely costly and time-consuming process. As a result, Roland Hemming and Lauren Rogers of RH Consulting decided to investigate the issue from scratch in order to determine the origins of standards, why they were created, and most importantly, what the law says our obligations are.
 
The company’s complete findings, including references to all of the appropriate European legislation, have been published in the form of a white paper that is freely downloadable from the RH Consulting website at www.rhconsulting.eu.
 
“We felt that it was crucial to our industry to clarify what EN 54 and the CPD really mean for manufacturers, consultants and integrators in terms of compliance,” stated Rogers.

“Many people think it means that every single product specified as part of a voice alarm system has to obtain EN 54 compliance. However, our detailed research has proved that there are other ways of complying with the CPD that don’t require each individual product to be EN 54-marked; the most relevant for our business is by using a “Kit” system.”
 
A “kit” is defined as an assembly of non type-tested components that together comprise a system. More details on kits can be found in the white paper.
 
“It is important to note that this is not about manufacturers trying to avoid their responsibilities by not getting their equipment tested,” added Hemming.

“On the contrary, in large, complex, high power projects such as stadia, transport hubs, conference centres etc., the use of a bespoke kit system will actually reduce risk as you are free to use equipment that is appropriate for the task in hand rather than being limited to using inappropriate type-tested product that is not up to the job. The aim of the white paper is to clearly define how the law relates to voice alarm systems and the steps that manufacturers, consultants and integrators need to take in order to comply with law and build safe systems.”
 
The white paper’s conclusion has already gained widespread support from a number of respected industry consultants as well as the chair of the EN 54 committee and the chair of the entire European working group above that.

PLASA has also stated that it concurs with the report: “This document clearly sets out that a kit system approach is an acceptable and legal method for installing a voice alarm system within the EEA,” said Technical Resources Manager Ron Bonner, who is responsible for technical support and standards advice at PLASA. “PLASA will support its members who wish to provide kit systems for that purpose.”