Welsh Government – CE Marking in Steel – Llandudno Junction

Download: English Flyer
Download:  Welsh Flyer

CE Marking – (BS EN 1090-1) will shortly (1st July 2013 for part 1 and 1st July 2014 for part 2) become mandatory for all manufacturers involved in structural steelwork. This includes products such as steel sections, bolts, welding consumables and fabricated steel components that are used in building, bridges, highways or other civil engineering projects.

CE Marking of Structural Steelwork

CE Marking of structural steelwork is a declaration by the manufacturer, that their product meets certain public safety requirements. The public safety requirements are a set of Essential Characteristics that each product must satisfy and these characteristics are given in the product’s harmonised standard.

The standard that covers CE Marking of structural steelwork is BS EN 1090-1. This standard was published in 2009, accepted in 2010 and will shortly become mandatory in most European Countries including the UK.

When does it come in to force?

The deadline for the mandatory CE Marking of fabricated steelwork is 1st July 2014. After this date it will be illegal to trade fabricated steelwork and related products on the European market unless it has CE accreditation. CE Marking is regulated by criminal law and the penalties for not CE Marking or incorrect CE Marking, if found guilty, are a fine, imprisonment or both. Potentially, however, the greatest impact could be on the business, which could be closed until the proper certification is in place, and be forced to recall non-complying products already on the market.

How do I become qualified for CE Marking?

Those affected by CE Marking must put in place a Factory Production Control system (FPC) described in BS EN 1090-1 and have the system certified by a Notified Body (such as the Steel Construction Certification Scheme).

The Construction Products Directive (CPD)

CE Marking of construction products was introduced in the Construction Products Directive (CPD) in 1988. The CPD is a European Directive that seeks to remove barriers to trade and applies to all construction products permanently incorporated in to ‘construction works’. This includes steel products such as steel sections, bolts, welding consumables and fabricated steel components that are used in building, bridges, highways or other civil engineering projects.

The Construction Products Regulation (CPR)

The CPD is enforced in the UK through the Construction Products Regulations (CPR) which describes two ways of complying with the regulations. The first is by CE Marking and the second is by supplying when asked by Trading Standards Officers in England, Wales and Scotland and Environmental Officers in Northern Ireland, all the information the manufacturer has on the product to enable the authorities to satisfy themselves that the product complies with the regulations. Put simply if the product is CE marked there is a presumption that it satisfies the regulations and the CPD, if the product is not CE Marked the onus is on the manufacturer or supplier to prove that it does satisfy the regulations. However on 1st July 2014 this will change that all products must be CE marked Currently (until July 2014) the two methods of complying with the CPD given in the CPR mean that CE Marking is not mandatory in the UK, although CE Marking is expected to be the most common approach of compliance with the CPD and will become EU directive on 1st July 2014.

Harmonised standards

CE Marking is a declaration by the manufacturer that the product meets certain public safety requirements. The public safety requirements are a set of Essential Characteristics that each product must satisfy and these characteristics are given in the product’s harmonised standard. For steel structures the main harmonised standards are:

• Steel sections and plate – BS EN 10025-1

• Hollow sections – BS EN 10219- 1 and BS EN 10210-1

• Pre-loadable bolts – BS EN 14399-1

• Non-preloadable bolts- BS EN 15048-1

• Fabricated steel – BS EN 1090-1

CE Marking of Structural Steelwork

The standard that covers CE Marking of structural steelwork is BS EN 1090-1. This standard has been accepted by member states and was published in 2009 and came into force early in 2010. Steel components can be CE Marked with reference to BS EN 1090-1 and information can be sourced on the NANDO website (Seehttp://ec.europe.eu/enterprise/newapproach/nando/index,cfm?useaction=cpd.hs ) Because steel components are “safety critical”, CE Marking is not allowed unless the Factory Production Control (FPC) system under which they are produced has been assessed by a suitable certification body that has been approved to the European Commission. Practical guidance on the routes to achieving a certified FPC system can be found in the BCSA leaflet ‘Routes to CE Marking Certification for Steelworks Contractors’. A more comprehensive explanation of the CE Marking process for structural steelwork is given in the ‘Guide to the CE Marking of Structural Steelwork’.

http://www.steelconstruction.org/resources/technical/technical-ce-marking.html

BCSA Leaflet ‘Routes to CE Marking Certification for Steelworks Contractors’

Guide to the CE Marking of Structural Steelwork, BCSA Publication No. 46/08.

CE Marking – Frequently Asked Questions

The event will provide an invaluable platform for businesses to learn about the mandatory July 2014 EU legislation concerning CE marking of fabricated steelwork. It will highlight the support available, and will also provide an opportunity to network and hear from leading industry speakers.

Attendance is free with registration beginning at 8.30am, and the event starting at 9am. A buffet breakfast and refreshments will be provided.

How to Book: To reserve your place at this event visit www.business.wales.gov.uk or telephone 03000 603000