Construction Products Regulation In this feature l products l self declaration l changing standards Seeing clearly Knowing what to look for when investigating window, door and glass products is crucial to making sure the industry is complying with regulations. mike Gaillard gives the lowdown on the latest rules and standards in the fenestration industry M It is mandatory for all manufacturers of products controlled by the CPR to mark their products or provide documentary evidence that they comply with the relevant EN Standard aking sure that your product complies with industry regulations is crucially important, but none more so than in the fenestration industry. Anything involving construction materials and especially glass and glazing needs to be of the utmost quality to safeguard consumers. And thats where regulations come into play. The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) replaced the Construction Products Directive in July 2013 and CE marking became mandatory across the whole of the EU and for any non-European manufacturers wishing to supply products within the EU. It applies tomore than 500 products in the construction industry, including cement, roof tiles, plasterboard and glass, as well as insulated glass units and windows. It is mandatory for all manufacturers of products controlled by the CPR to mark their products or provide documentary evidence that theycomply with the relevant EN standard. This may be done by a simple CE mark on the product, but it also needs to be backed by a Declaration of Performance. This is a legally binding document that must take a particular format and be signed by the CEO/managing director of the company. In many cases, the manufacturer will permanently mark the product with the manufacturers name, contact information and the standard to which the product has been tested. These marks are usually placed in unobtrusive positions, but if this is not possible because of practicalities or desirability, then supporting paperwork and a Declaration of Performance must be readily available to anyone who requests it. Being compliant There are a number of standards that are relevant to products within the fenestration industry: l Basic soda lime silicate glass EN 572 l Coated glass EN 1096 l Toughened glass EN 12150 and EN 12600 l Laminated glass EN 14449 l Insulating Glass Units (IGUs) EN 1279 l Windows EN 14351 Although most of these standards only require self declaration, there are different certified routes to compliance for fenestration products, as there are a number of organisations within the industry that offer certification and quality marks that are recognised as proof of conformity. These include the CMS mark from CENSolutions, the Kitemark from BSI and the Q-Mark from BM Trada. ABouT CENSoluTIoNS CENSolutions offer testing, certification and advice on all standards relevant to window and door manufacture. It works with numerous industry bodies and supports relevant initiatives to promote good working practice and compliance across the industry. BS EN 1279 This standard is in six parts, and relates to IGUs: l Part 1 Generalities, dimensional tolerances and rules for the system description l Part 2 Long-term test method and requirements for moisture penetration l Part 3 Long-term test method and requirements for gas leakage rate and for gas concentration tolerances l Part 4 Methods of test for the physical attributes of edge seals l Part 5 Evaluation of conformity l Part 6 Factory production control and periodic tests BS EN 12150 and BS EN 14449 These are harmonised European standards, which relate to toughened and laminated glass respectively: l EN 12150 is the standard for glass in building thermally toughened soda lime silicate safety glass and is published in two parts l EN 14449 is the standard for glass in building laminated glass and laminated safety glass and is published in one part l There are other standards that relate to heat-soaked and heatstrengthened glasses CTSI has been tasked with the job of investigating complaints relating to manufactured fenestration products that are covered by the CPR Both may call upon other standards to determine performance: l EN 12600 is the pendulum test used to classify glass (impact testing) l EN 12150 fragmentation l EN 1288 Part 3 surface stress l EN 12543 provides definitions and test methods applicable to laminated glasses EN 14351-1: 2006 This is a harmonised product standard, of which Part 1 was published in 2006, and relates to windows and doors regardless of the material used to manufacture them, so includes PVC-U, timber, aluminium and steel. l The standard is for windows and doors product standard, performance characteristics Part 1: Windows and external pedestrian doorsets without resistance to fire and/or smoke leakage characteristics l This became mandatory in July 2013 penalties for non-compliance CTSI has been tasked with the job of investigating complaints relating to manufactured fenestration products that are covered by the CPR. There are currently hundreds of manufacturers operating within the fenestration industry without the appropriate certification that are, ultimately, trading illegally. Severe ramifications can be enforced on manufacturers who fail to comply, including: l A fine of up to 5,000 l Up to three months in prison for the chief executive l The shutting down of production What to look out for Should a complaint arise, the important thing to find out is whether or not the manufacturer has a Declaration of Performance and relevant test reports to support it. Manufacturers also need to have a Factory Production Control (FPC) system in place, which requires specific daily tests to be carried out. These records should be retained for 10 years, and the results and test reports should be available. Simple checklists supplied to trading standards officers during training presentations are available upon request. Credits Mike Gaillard is joint managing director of CENSolutions. 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