Last Updated on 23/11/2025 by owen_2023
At Polyseam, we know that safety starts long before a product reaches the wall, floor, or ceiling. It begins with data, traceability, and a manufacturing process that’s built to withstand scrutiny. As manufacturers of passive fire protection products and systems, we play a vital role in supporting the Golden Thread, a core principle in building safety reform that puts information, accountability, and transparency at the heart of construction.
Here’s how our commitment to high standards, traceability, and quality control supports safer buildings across the UK and beyond.
What is the Golden Thread?
The “Golden Thread” is a key concept introduced by Dame Judith Hackitt in her post-Grenfell review of building safety. It refers to the secure, digital record of a building’s design, construction, and maintenance information, ensuring the right people have access to the right data at the right time.
For fire protection, this means every product, process, and person must be accounted for because safety depends on evidence, not assumptions.
Why Manufacturing Matters
While much of the focus in the Golden Thread is placed on installation and design, manufacturing is where it all begins. If a product doesn’t meet its test standard, wasn’t made under controlled conditions, or can’t be traced back to a batch, then everything that follows is compromised.
That’s why Polyseam has invested in a robust, quality-driven production process that underpins the safety claims of every product we sell.
Third-Party Testing and Certification
All our passive fire protection products are tested according to BS EN standards and assessed by accredited third-party certification bodies. This ensures that what we manufacture meets or exceeds the performance criteria required in the market.
Our certification partners include:
- UL (Underwriters Laboratories)
- Warringtonfire
- IFC Certification
This independent validation is not optional; it’s fundamental. It means the data we share can be trusted by those designing, specifying, or installing our systems.
Change Control and Batch Traceability
Fire-stopping systems may be modified, new penetrations added, or fabric works undertaken. Each change must be logged in the Golden Thread so that the accountable person can justify that the building remains safe. At Polyseam, every product is traceable to its individual batch. We document every stage of manufacturing, from raw material intake to final packaging. This allows us to:
- Confirm consistency of composition and performance
- Support investigations in the event of a defect or issue
- Provide full traceability for audits or project records
It’s part of our ISO 9001 quality management system, but more than that, it’s what makes our products fit for purpose in the built environment.
Supply Chain Alignment
The Golden Thread isn’t just about the finished building; it reaches back into the supply chain. Manufacturers must ensure their component information is delivered to the contractor and onward into the building’s record. Polyseam embeds robust internal processes: quality management systems (ISO 9001), environmental tracking (ISO 14001) and occupational safety (ISO 45001) combine with product documentation to support this full chain accountability.
This means specifiers and contractors can have confidence that Polyseam products perform consistently, not just in the lab, but on-site.
Transparent Labelling and Documentation
Polyseam labels every product clearly with key information, including:
- Product name and use
- Batch number
- Manufacturing date
- CE, UKCA and ETA markings (where applicable)
- QR codes linking to data sheets and installation guides
This supports accurate documentation during the construction phase and makes handover and ongoing maintenance easier, key pillars of the Golden Thread.
How Polyseam’s processes align with Golden Thread requirements
Stage Polyseam’s Contribution
Research & Development | Fire resistance test programmes, acoustic & thermal performance data, documentation
ready for upload into digital records.
Manufacture & Quality Assurance | ISO‑certified QA; batch‑tracking; traceable component sourcing; reliable performance.
Packaging & Documentation | Labels, batch codes, installation guides and certification are supplied with each product to support building records.
Technical Support & Training | On‑site assistance, training modules and installation verification ensure that the correct
install is completed — a key factor in Golden Thread compliance.
Life‑cycle Support | Maintenance recommendations, upgrade pathways, and audit‑ready documentation help
the building’s accountable person maintains the Golden Thread.
Why it Matters
With the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 and secondary legislation, all higher-risk buildings (HRBs) must have a Golden Thread in place. Products installed in these buildings are not just components; they are data points, performance commitments and documented safety features. Polyseam’s processes ensure our products contribute positively to that ecosystem.
What This Means For Our Partners And Customers
- Specifiers & consultants: Access robust performance evidence to populate a building’s digital record.
- Contractors & installers: Use certified systems that support traceability and handover obligations.
- Building owners & accountable persons: Know that the installed fire protection products have full documentation, test data and maintenance instructions, aiding compliance and continuity of safety.
At Polyseam, we believe protecting lives isn’t just about products — it’s about information, processes, and accountability. Through purposeful manufacture, documentation and support, we help embed PFP systems firmly into the Golden Thread of safer buildings.
For those designing, building or managing tomorrow’s structures, consider the role of every product in the chain of safety — and the information that makes it meaningful.
Let’s build safer, greener environments—together.
Explore our full passive fire protection range:
https://protecta.co.uk/products/
