The latest report from the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) makes for uncomfortable reading for our sector. Inspections into heat soaked thermally toughened glass have revealed widespread compliance failures, with every insulated glass unit assessed failing compliance checks in some form.

Perhaps even more concerning is the lack of supporting documentation. Only half of the companies inspected were able to produce a Declaration of Performance at the point of inspection – a basic legal requirement – while the vast majority failed labelling and conformity marking checks.

As Kevin Jones, head of technical at the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF), points out in our lead story this week, the issue isn’t necessarily with the quality of the glass being manufactured. In many cases the product itself may well meet the required standards. The real problem lies in the systems behind it – the documentation, testing records and conformity processes that prove compliance.

That distinction is important, but it shouldn’t offer any comfort. Under the Construction Products Regulations, if manufacturers cannot demonstrate compliance with the required paperwork and technical files, regulators have the power to stop products from being supplied to the market. In other words, a failure in process could quickly become a failure in production.

For IGU manufacturers, glass processors and fabricators alike, the message is clear: now is the time to review those systems. Documentation may not be the most exciting part of running a business, but as this report shows, it could be the difference between continuing to operate or being forced to shut down production altogether.