SAFETY , SECURITY & FIRE PROTECTION
THE MOVE TO UKCA MARKING OF EXTERNAL FIREDOORS
by Wojciech Brozyna - MD of Aluprof UK
Since Brexit the UK now sits outside the European Economic Area ( EEA ) and has a trade agreement which helps businesses trade without tariffs between the EEA and the UK . Despite the increased levels of paperwork required for such imports and exports , it is ‘ almost business as usual ’.
Northern Ireland is that whilst Northern Ireland sits within the EEA , from the 1st January 2021 , it is now outside the EU Customs Union . It must be reiterated that for products manufactured and sold in Northern Ireland , they must always carry both the CE mark and the UK ( NI ).
Over the last few years conformity with legislation and standards present in Europe have been a prerequisite for producing and selling any goods within the EEA . This included products produced here , in the EEA or from overseas . Known as ‘ CE ’ marking , it is applicable equally to the manufacture and sale of a paper clip to more complex fire doors and fire screens . The ‘ CE mark ’ is a certification mark that is widely used throughout the EU .
Now the UK has launched its own conformity mark , the ‘ UKCA mark ’, this means that all products produced outside or inside the UK , for UK use , must carry the new UKCA mark . Fortunately , both conformity marks CE and UKCA , can be used this year , all products sold in the UK next year , 2022 , must carry the UKCA mark .
In Northern Ireland , matters get a little more complicated as manufacturers have their own UK ( NI ) mark to comply with which must be used alongside the CE marking . Whilst Great Britain will accept the UK ( NI )+ CE marked products known as ‘ unfettered access ’, products manufactured in Northern Ireland only need to carry the CE mark if they are to be sold solely in the EEA . Part of the reason for the difference in
The ‘ product ’ from the ‘ end fabricator ’ must be CE marked ( accepted up to the end of 2021 ) and / or UKCA marked , this refers to all the parts that make up the final product from various suppliers such as the framing system , glazing and hardware . This must be declared in one document and on installation it is not possible to substitute any part . The product , such as supplied in a firescreen , including doors and glazing , is supplied to site complete in a fabricated form , glazing can be supplied separately on a stillage but must be supplied by the ‘ end fabricator ’.
The door and sidescreens , or top-lights , must fall within a single overall frame , it is not possible to declare and UKCA mark a coupled door frame to a side screen or toplight . The company installing the product on-site may be another company who has sourced the product from an ‘ end fabricator ’. It is the manufacture of the installed product that carries the responsibility for the UKCA marking by ensuring that the installer follows detailed installation instructions . The pressure is now on manufacturers to ensure that all their products are all reassessed through UK Approved Bodies before the end of this year if they are continuing to be sold in the UK and carry the UKCA mark .
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