Our LPS 1673 testing journey

If you are familiar with Stafford Bridge, you will be aware that testing and certification are the drivers for everything we do. In a field where our products could be the difference between the life or death of an individual, there is no ‘second chance’.

Even with years of experience designing, manufacturing and installing high-performing security products, we know that the tools and methods for gaining access are always evolving.

To address these evolving threats, LPCB developed LPS 1673.

Whilst the standard primarily focuses on products providing vital delay against violent forced entry by those wishing to do harm to high net worth and high profile individuals, NPSA and NaCTSO also called for these solutions to be aesthetically pleasing for both residential and commercial environments.

This requirement speaks to Stafford Bridge’s core principle and decades of experience combining high-performing security doorsets with quality, bespoke finishes. Doors used in residential and office environments are often timber, meaning our timber doorset, the Richmond, is a crucial addition to the range of LPS 1673 certified products available.

But how did we get there?

With years of experience designing, manufacturing and working with BRE to test and certify high-performance doorsets, we came into the LPS 1673 process assuming it would all go swimmingly.

However, as we watched our first few tests result in failure, we were quickly reminded why we emphasise the importance of tested and certified products.

In front of end users and specifiers, we witnessed failures, realising we had wrongly compared LPS 1673 to LPS 1175 by thinking that the same methods of protection to achieve LPS 1175 would work for LPS 1673.

LPS 1673 offered us a new challenge to meet.

We persevered and adjusted our product to combat the weaknesses highlighted in those initial tests. After much learning and adjusting, we are proud to have ended up with a full range of doorsets to meet every level and time within the LPS 1673 standard.

To share an insight into the standard, its importance and our testing journey, we asked Richard Flint, Technical and Commercial Lead for Physical Security at BRE, for his thoughts:

“Our initial aim was to stimulate the development of cost-effective domestic security products which provide a reliable delay to intrusion attempts by those willing to use bladed weapons and/or blunt instruments, providing occupants with vital time in which to escape from the intruder and/or reach a safer area.  While the standard initially focused on threats to VIPs in their homes and work environments, it quickly became apparent that LPS 1673 was equally relevant to those facing the threat of violent attacks in other scenarios, particularly the threat of a marauding bladed weapon attack and targeted ‘smash-and-grab’ type robberies.

LPS 1673 products are attributed an attack rating based on the minimum delay they provide when attacked using tools selected from the tool kit associated with the target attack rating. The delays achieved are noted in seconds, with the minimum recognised being 30 seconds and the maximum being 300 seconds (5 minutes).

Although those who are familiar with the performance classifications defined in other forced entry standards may consider 30 seconds to represent an extremely short delay, evidence drawn from marauding attacks and other incidents indicated attackers often spend less than 30 seconds attempting entry through a single locked element before moving on. This is because attackers are mindful that law enforcement is likely to have mobilised and may arrive very soon and because the attackers’ stamina can diminish very quickly.

LPS 1673 addresses a very different type of threat than that addressed in PAS 24. PAS 24’s criteria are best suited to the threat of burglary by those likely to wish to avoid making noise and exposing themselves to unnecessary risk.

It is, therefore, quite a challenge for manufacturers, such as Stafford Bridge, to deliver products that have the capacity to resist the far more violent forced entry attempts addressed by LPS 1673  while also delivering the aesthetics desired within residential environments as well as those commercial, residential and entertainment facilities that may be targeted during a marauding bladed weapon attack.