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C E Certificate

From the 1st July 2013 the Construction Products Regulations 2011, require that manufacturers of construction products produce a declaration of conformity (to the relevant harmonised standard - BS EN) and C E Mark their products in an appropriate form.

Previously, under the Construction Products Directive C E marking was voluntary within the UK - the Construction Products Regulations make it a mandatory requirement.

The Construction Products Regulations are intended to remove barriers to the trade of construction products within Europe. The regulations aim to do this in several ways, including:

• Utilising a system of harmonised technical specifications.

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• Ensuring that there is an agreed system for assessing the conformity of each product category.

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• Providing a framework of notified bodies to check and maintain compliance.

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• C E marking of products.

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C E marking does not necessarily mean a product is suitable for use in all European states.

The Construction Products Regulations (CPR) standardise methods of assessment and testing by the harmonisation of European product standards but they do not overwrite individual national building regulations. Where a harmonised technical specification (BS EN) incorporates details relating to a regulation elsewhere in the EU, unless this is a requirement under the UK Building Regulations, there is no need to test the requirement.

The Construction Products Regulations contain seven basic requirements for construction works which are as follows:

1. Mechanical resistance and stability

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2. Fire Safety

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3. Hygiene, health and the environment

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4. Safety and accessibility in use

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5. Protection against noise

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6. Energy economy and heat retention

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7. Sustainable use of natural resources

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The harmonised standards include an assessment and testing regime that confirms the ability of a product category to comply with the performance characteristics necessary to meet the CPR basic requirements.

For each product category a 'System of Assessment and Verification of Consistency of Performance' has been determined collectively by the member states and the European Commission.

Satisfactory compliance with the system of assessment results in the issue of a Factory Control Certificate by the notified body. An EC Declaration of Conformity is drafted by the manufacturer and the C E Mark appropriately applied to the product.

Prestressed concrete floor beams are subject to System 2+ which is defined as: factory production control certification with continuous surveillance by a notified factory production control body.

Satisfactory compliance with the system of assessment results in the issue of a Factory Control Certificate by the notified body. An EC Declaration of Conformity is drafted by the manufacture and the C E Mark appropriately applied to the product.