You need to have
It’s a legal requirement to comply with the regulations, and the insurance sector is getting increasingly demanding of building owners to have complaint structures, for obvious reasons. It is also a key focus for the regulators, especially local trading standards offices.
Can you afford not to?
Done wrong, absolutely. Too many systems we see have a form or document to cover every aspect of the standard. That’s the easy way to build a system, and an equally easy way to cripple you operationally. You know when this is the case when you spend a month “updating” (i.e. creating false) records, etc. before the auditor next comes.
It is difficult to give precise timescales, as it depends on a number of things such as how complex the business is, how close you are to complying with the requirements already, and so on. We recommend planning for it taking at least 3 months.
For a fixed cost we will do as much of the work as possible, and guarantee certification.
Episode has worked with over 40 clients, many of whom have more than one standard they comply with (one has 5). All have been successfully certified and many subsequently ask us to help them maintain certification, and get more out of the system.
There are the following costs that will arise
Episode always gives a fixed fee proposal for a project, and we include guaranteed certification. A typical single standard project is about £3,900, but this does depend on the size and complexity of your business.
A notified body needs to certify the system as being compliance with the standard. We will manage this process for you, and typical costs range from ££950 to £1,500 depending on size and complexity of the business.
Typical additional costs arise because
In the UK it is a legal requirement that any structural metalwork is CE marked under the Construction Products Regulations (CPR), which were adopted in the UK in March 2011 to enforce the European Construction Products Directive. The aim of the directive is to harmonise the safety performance of construction products across the EU and they apply to anything placed on the market, whether imported or manufactured in the EU. BS EN 1090 is the UK’s harmonised standard used to comply with the regulations.
Since the 1st July 2014 it has been a criminal offence to supply structural metalwork unless it conforms to this standard and carries a legitimate CE mark. It is enforced by the Trading Standards Authority, who has the power to stop a business from trading and to withdraw any products supplied after July 1st 2014, until the company has shown that it complies with the Regulations.
Done right, BS EN 1090-1:2009 Execution of steel structures and aluminium structures Part 1: Requirements for conformity assessment of structural components need not add administrative burden to the operation. The system should be as simple and effective as possible, and easy to use. Most well-run manufacturers of structural metalwork will already have the elements needed to conform to BS EN 1090-1 and our qualified consultants will take what you already do and demonstrate how it meets the standard, rather than having to write completely new processes from scratch. This avoids the need for employees to learn new ways of working and cuts down the time needed for implementation.
It was only by utilising the expert guidance and experience of ‘Episode Ltd.’ That Thurston Group was able to attain certification within an exceptionally challenging time frame. We therefore offer our thanks to Episode Ltd. For the diligent and professional services provided. We also look forward to working with them again soon and would not hesitate to recommend their services.”
Peter Spieight, Senior Divisional Director, Thurston Group, Wakefield
Roger’s support was invaluable in terms of gap analysis, recommendations for improvement, and facilitation of the certification process. I would strongly recommend Roger to any organisation wishing to develop or improve its management systems, in a way which minimizes bureaucracy, and focuses on best serving the needs of the organization.
Gary Evans, Flour Corporation, Abu Dhabi