GAI NEWS
NEW GUIDANCE TO HELP TRANSITION BACK TO THE WORKPLACE
NEW SPECIFIER’S GUIDE TO PRODUCT MARKING A new guide has been launched to help architects and specifiers navigate changes to product marking in the UK following its departure from the EU. Now that the EU and the UK are two separate regulatory and legal spaces, all products exported from the EU to the UK (and vice versa) will have to comply with UK technical regulations and will be subject to regulatory compliance checks and controls. The Specifier’s Guide on UKCA Marking, CE marking and the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) has been launched by the GAI to ensure that anyone involved in the specification of architectural ironmongery is aware of the latest procedures on conformity marking.
UKCA and UKNI marking have been introduced as CE marking will cease to be used in Great Britain from 1 January 2022. The guide covers the new product marking and the rules for using them, as well as the role of CE marking going forward and the change from European Harmonised Standards to the UK Designated Standards. The guide also covers the changes to the CPR and the EU machinery directive - key legislation that impact architectural ironmongery specifiers - and the creation of UK Approved Bodies to replace UK Notified Bodies. The guide can be downloaded from the GAI website: www.gai.org.uk
The guidance on using partitioning and ironmongery to manage social distancing in the workplace has been updated following changes to UK conformity marking. The How Business Owners Can Use Partitioning and Ironmongery to Help Manage Social Distancing guide, jointly produced by the GAI and FIS, which represents the Finishes and Interior Sector, has been updated following changes to UK conformity marking. Developed to help those involved in managing workplaces understand key considerations they need to make when adapting their spaces, it provides guidance on using partitioning and ironmongery to manage social distancing in the workplace. Originally published in November last year, it has been updated to cover the changes to UK conformity marking post-Brexit. UKCA and UKNI marking have been introduced as CE marking will cease to be used in Great Britain from 1 January 2022. It also includes a list of the relevant EN Harmonised and UK Designated standards that are relevant to partitioning, doors and architectural ironmongery and a summary of product marking sales territories to show where UKCA, UKNI and CE marking can be used going forward. Douglas Masterson, technical manager of the GAI, said: “It is critical that business owners and those responsible for property maintenance are aware of the changes and how this impacts
the architectural ironmongery they choose for their workplaces. Businesses will need to continue to be responsive to Government advice but the new information in the guide will help them to identify opportunities for business owners to make sensible product choices now, that will offer them compliant solutions longer term.” Joe Cilia, technical director of FIS, said: “Dividing spaces, even on a temporary basis may have implications on escape routes and safety depending on how they are installed and as good ventilation has been shown to help reduce the incidence of Covid 19 infection, the advice in this free guide is important and relevant.” Download the guide at www.gai.org.uk/IndustryUpdates or www.thefis.org/membershiphub/publications/
GAI COLLABORATES TO PRODUCE PDTS The GAI continues to be at the forefront of the provision of BIM Product Data Templates. GAI technical manager Douglas Masterson, who is also chair of BIM Fenestration Relevant Authority has recently
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overseen the creation of a brand new doorset PDT, through a working group co-chaired with Kevin Underwood of the British Woodworking Federation. The PDT is available in the technical section of the GAI website.
In the next project for the Relevant Authority, the GAI and the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) will work together to create a series of PDTs for window hardware. The GAI continues to develop its own range of PDTs for
hardware, through the ongoing work with the French trade association UNIQ, which will enhance the existing library by ensuring these are in alignment with the ISO 23386 BIM data dictionary standard.
ARCHITECTURAL IRONMONGERY JOURNAL
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