Marley product assurance reinforced

With growing focus on sustainability, Daniel Weait, National Accounts Manager and CCPI Project Lead at Marley, highlights how the new Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) means housing associations can have total confidence in the construction product choices they make.

Whenever housing associations embark on building projects, they want to have the certainty that the vital construction components used on their sites to create safe, high performing and energy efficient homes for tenants, have been independently assessed and do what they claim.

The landmark CCPI ably supports the need for fact-based reassurance. It has been established as the result of collaboration across the construction sector and is a practical response to the findings of the Hackett Report - 2018’s crucial review into building regulations and fire safety.

The code is a welcome development for the construction sector and strengthens the accuracy and transparency by which construction product manufacturers manage and provide external information on the components they supply.

Critically, CCPI verification is also based upon an independent assessment of the organisation behind the construction product under consideration, including close examination of the myriad internal management processes that support the generation and communication of product information. This includes areas such as staff training, sign-off procedures, and the use of potentially mis-leading product descriptions.

As an early adopter of the CCPI, Marley supports its aims and transparency objectives and, indeed, any move to better inform stakeholders such as housing associations about the construction products they select.

And because of Marley’s commitment to the ambitions enshrined in the code, we have worked to ensure that our JB Red Batten product has become one of the first construction components to achieve verification under the CCPI scheme.

As a result of the independent third-party accreditation, housing associations opting for construction products such as the JB Red Batten which now carries the CCPI mark, can have confidence that it has been holistically assessed across a series of eleven important clauses, and that the performance declarations we make can be relied upon.

The CCPI mark is yet another level of protection for housing associations choosing Marley solutions.

It adds to the 15-year warranty that comes with a full Marley roof system.  For housing associations looking to ensure building budgets are optimised and long-term performance guaranteed, the combination of a multi-year roof system warranty, together with CCPI verification for its JB Red Battens, further underpins trust and dependability.

The importance of roof batten standards
The significance of roof battens as a primary component of a structurally strong pitched roof, should never be underestimated.

It is a perfect example where the presence of the CCPI verification now provides the additional quality assurance housing associations should be seeking, especially in an area where ongoing concerns prevail about non-compliant and inferior product selection in the marketplace.

Roofing battens are not just small section timbers that are covered over. They are one of the most important parts of a pitched roof, acting as a structural and load bearing element. As well as supporting the weight of tiles and the imposed wind loads, BS 5534 graded roofing battens can also be used as a secure foothold during installation.

The reputational, commercial and safety risks associated with using non-compliant products can be significant. Both the Building Safety Act and the new CCPI code - which specifically calls for accuracy and clarity when performance claims are made by parties selling and marketing construction products – are important industry safeguards that can further drive-up standards and eradicate the promotion of inadequate quality or mis-leadingly marketed products.

Now the added reassurance provided by CCPI verification further reinforces the creation, performance, and origination credentials of quality-led roof battens. As such, it positions Marley’s JB Red Batten as the only UK manufactured, BS 5534 factory graded roof batten carrying both BBA certification and the CCPI mark.

The establishment of the code is an important and landmark initiative for the construction sector as it looks to underpin better safety and compliance standards. Going forward, housing associations should prioritise the selection of products that carry its hard-earned third-party verification mark.

For more information on the CCPI verification, or Marley JB Red Batten, visit: https://www.marley.co.uk/roofing-batten/jb-red-batten