With only a year until the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) comes into force are you fully aware how it affects you? As a user or specifier you will see more construction products bearing the CE marking, and from 1st July 2013 this will be mandatory in the UK for products covered by a harmonised European Standard (hEN).

CE marking only harmonises test methods, declaration of product performance and the involvement of Notified Bodies, such as the BBA, in assessing conformity. It is a passport for technical data enabling a construction product to be placed legally on the UK/European market.

It does not, however, unify building regulations nor is not a quality mark and will not address fitness for a particular purpose or local issues in individual member states.

As a user, specifier, designer, contractor or local building authority the responsibility for ensuring that a product has the correct characteristics for a particular application still rests with you. The BBA’s Agrément Certificates address ‘fitness for purpose’ issues within defined criteria and, due to our reputation for impartiality and vast experience built up over forty years of assessing construction products, specifiers can confidently select BBA approved products in the knowledge that they have been robustly assessed and deemed to conform within the scope set out in their individual Certificates.

For further information view the Guidance Note on the CPR that was produced in collaboration with the Construction Products Association, British Standards Institution, FBE Management Limited and the Trading Standards Institute to help clarify the new legislation. It is available via a link on the CE marking explained page on BBA website.