Plasa aims to end EN54 confusion

If you are an acoustic consultant, facilities manager, architect or anyone involved in the manufacture, specification or installation of voice alarm systems, EN54 part 16 and EN54 Part 24- which covers loudspeakers- affect your business.

The UK is one of only three of the EU’s 27 member states where EN54 is yet to become law, but that will change in April 2011.

EN54 regulations place benhmarks on testing, especially in systems incorporating equipment from different manufacturers.

Acoording to Plasa, there is uncertainty as to exactly how, when and where it will come into effect, leading one manufacturer, Penton UK, to produce an ‘FAQ’ leaflet designed to answer typical questions from consultants on this issue, such as how EN54 affects future voice alarm installations, and what buildings or organisations the European Directive has stated must be covered by a voice alarm system.

Penton UK Managing Director Kevin Tester told PLASA: ‘There is considerable confusion in the installation industry about the ins and outs of compliance. We get asked a lot of questions about it, as we are currently investing in having 32 of our loudspeakers certified, so to make it simpler we’ve condensed the information into a flyer’

Plasa 2010 will host a suite of seminars focusing on the issue, including a dedicated area of the show floor where companies that are already compliant, or working towards it, will be, complete with a networking area.

Four Education & Learning Programme sessions on Monday 13 September cover various aspects of EN45.

Presenters are ISCE (10:00-10:40), AMS Acoustics / Intertek (11:00-12:00), The Institute of Acoustics (17:00-18:00) and Peter Mapp (13:00-14:00). More details will be posted on the PLASA Show website. Among the companies that are either EN54 compliant or are in the process of achieving compliance are Ateis (Stand ISCE18), Baldwin Boxall (ISCE1) – who will also host a bar for show visitors, Bosch (ISCE17), Funktion 1 (1-F36), Intertek (1-D36), Penton UK (ISCE16), DNH World- Wide Ltd (ISCE 2) and Polar Audio (1-F2).

PLASA Technical Resources Manager Ron Bonner said: ‘One of the more worrying aspects is that certification is really for systems, not individual items of kit; so being able to mix and match a Soundweb with a QSC amplifier or a Peavey Nion with an HP network switch will not be as easy as it has been up to now.’

www.plasashow.com/education