Door Industry Journal - Summer 2021

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 40 THE door industry journal summer 2021 Industry News • UKCA and UKNI marking Following Brexit, the UKCA mark is now replacing the CE mark in the GB market. The rules for application are essentially the same as for the CE mark, subject to change. The UKCA mark is only recognised in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland). Under the Northern Ireland protocol, goods placed on the market in Northern Ireland will continue to comply with relevant EU rules and only the CE mark will be recognised. In some cases, the new UKNI mark will be applied alongside the CE mark, indicating that, although the product meets the technical requirements of the CE mark, certification has been obtained from a UK body. In these cases, the CE mark will be recognised only in Northern Ireland and not the EU. What legislation applies to new garage doors and powered gates? • The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (as amended) (SMSR) covering the safety of machinery, including powered garage doors and powered gates. • The Construction Products Regulations 2013 (as amended) (CPR) cover products used in the construction of buildings or infrastructure works, including garage doors (manual and power-operated). What do the markings mean? The marking relates only to the condition of the door or gate when first placed on the market by the manufacturer (who may also be the installer, for example, in the case of a bespoke product). The only time a new CE or UKCA mark would have to be applied to an existing door or gate would be under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations if: • a manually operated door or gate were converted to power operation, or; • an existing power-operated product was substantially modified into a ‘new’ machine. In addition to the marking on the product itself, the installer should pass to the new owner the Declaration of Performance according to CPR 2013 and/or the Declaration of Conformity to SMSR 2008. The manufacturer should also provide instructions for operation and maintenance. For garage doors, the Declaration of Performance should specify the wind loading which the product is able to withstand. It should also confirm that the product has passed the tests for ‘safe opening’ (protection against falling back in the event of component failure for vertically moving doors) and ‘operating forces’ (protection from impact and crushing by the main edge of powered garage doors). Maintenance of domestic doors and gates Maintenance should be undertaken according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Generally, the only maintenance undertaken by the domestic user will be cleaning and, possibly, some lubrication. Other necessary maintenance should be entrusted to a competent person. Conclusion Domestic garage doors and gates are generally safe; nevertheless, some care in selecting the right product and the right installer is advisable. We hope that the information in this article will help owners to make informed choices. For further information on domestic garage doors and powered gates, please visit the DHF website: www.dhfonline.org.uk What are the legal responsibilities? As well as complying with the legal requirements for placing garage doors and powered gates on the market, the installer or maintainer is bound by health and safety law. They must install the product safely and, if called upon to maintain an existing product, must ensure that they leave it in safe working order. If this is not possible, they must report the situation to the owner; in the case of a power-operated product, they would typically, leave the product switched off. Installers and maintainers have been prosecuted where doors or gates have been left in an unsafe condition and been fined or, in at least one case, imprisoned for breaches of health and safety law. The normal domestic owner is not subject to health and safety legislation and may choose to switch a potentially unsafe door or gate back on. However, in the event of an accident, they run the risk of being sued by an injured party and their insurers may not pay out if they consider that the owner has, by knowingly continuing to use an unsafe door or gate, broken the terms of their policy.