The Construction Products Regulation (CPR), which comes into force on July 1, is concentrating minds across the timber industry. In spite of this, there is some confusion about what the CPR involves and requires from various stakeholders in the construction industry.
It is a myth that the CPR requires all wood products to be manufactured to a harmonised standard and subsequently CE marked. The truth is that the CPR makes it mandatory to install only CE-marked wood products (for which a Harmonised Standard exists, such as wood panels) into building work that is permanent and regulated by the Building Regulations. All temporary or non-regulated work is exempt from the CPR. Typical exempt examples might be: furniture, exhibitions, concrete formwork or portable buildings.
Building Regulations throughout the UK stipulate that materials must be fit for purpose and correctly installed. For designers of permanent buildings, getting the specification right changes from being an objective to a professional obligation.
Specifiers of wood panels in particular are seeking guidance about how to meet their obligations and ensure compliance with their Harmonised Standard EN 13986; Wood-based panels for use in construction.
Where Building Regulations call for fire protection of wood panels, the need to meet the fitness for purpose criterion becomes acute. Fire safety is a critical factor in building design, and with more fire protection products on the market than ever before, just how does a specifier make the right choice?
The Wood Protection Association (WPA) has set the standard for industrial flame retardant processing for many years but more recently has developed a step-by-step checklist to help specifiers select the correct product for their application. The checklist is based on the new Technical Specification TS15912 and the WPA’s own flame retardant specification manual and product approval scheme.
The key elements are:
Step 1: Establish specification fundamentals What fire performance is required? (i) Is it Euroclass B or C? (ii) Is the application in a dry interior, humid interior or external environment?
Step 2: Verify performance credentials of the FR product options What fire performance properties are being claimed by manufacturers? The CPR makes it mandatory for all performance claims to be independently verified by a notified body. Ensure that the verified claims match the specification fundamentals.
Step 3: Is performance required to Euroclass B or C? If so, the following documents should be obtained to support the choice: (i) The manufacturer’s Certificate of Factory Production Control, issued by a notified body. (ii) A Declaration of Performance for the chosen product that matches the specification. (iii) A Classification Report to EN 13501 for the product, issued by a notified body. (iv) An Extended Application report may be necessary as additional evidence.
Step 4: Verify manufacturing and application quality assurance To be listed in its manual, the WPA requires that the manufacture of flame retardant products and their application to timber should be under a third-party quality assurance scheme, such as ISO 9001:2008.
Step 5: If in doubt, check with the WPA The WPA publishes a Fire Retardant Specification Manual, a Guide to CE Marking and offers a specifiers’ helpline on its website www.wood-protection.org.
A good example of a manufacturer integrating WPA guidance into its CE marking obligations is Meyer Timber. Meyer has held a Certificate of Factory Production Control from Warrington Fire for 10 years and, as a consequence, raises Declarations of Performance for its FR processed plywood and hardboard and issues CE marks, available from its website www.meyertimber.com, obviating the need for direct product marking, which is an option under the CPR.
