Make a stand against non-compliance

Mike Gaillard, joint managing director of CENSolutions, respond to the recent story in Glass Times about the challenge to products that don’t meet building regulations.

I read with great interest the Glass Times leader ‘Demand for illegal products challenged’ and associated story from The Saveheat Group.

The fact that Colin Torley and the Saveheat team have decided to make a stand on this issue, must be applauded and I very much hope more manufacturers who work hard to do everything by the book, follow suit.

Our industry is very much driven by innovation, which is fantastic, but at what cost? Legislation changes tend to impact on manufacturing processes and we understand that proving compliance can become a headache, especially where new products are concerned.

That said, it’s not to be ignored. There is a vast number of diligent companies within our industry that continuously strive for improved quality and higher standards – but unfortunately, they are not the majority.

With regards to your point on policing – with 400-500 products in the marketplace, it is difficult for trading standards officers to know what they are looking for to police this matter, as no information has been provided to date by the government or any other industry governing bodies.

However, in 2016 CENSolutions volunteered to provide training presentations on the Construction Products Regulation to various trading standards regions across the UK. Over the course of the year we presented to four locations and included information on BS EN 1279 – for which we have provided checklists and detail on BS EN 1279, as well as information on low sightline units, the sharing of initial type test data, and the rules governing it.

We have also provided information on BS EN 12150 toughened glass, BS EN 14449 laminated glass, BS EN 14351 windows and external doorsets, and PAS 24.

CENSolutions wants to do what it can to raise standards, not just for our customers but for the industry as a whole. Better working practices create better products, which creates better reputations.

As well as working closely with our customers to ensure best practice and quality, we also work with industry federation bodies to support the elimination of the unethical element of the market. It’s time the industry pulls together to make a stand against non-compliance – and I think the points raised by Colin on low sightline units are a great place to start.