CPR – Construction Products Regulation

By |2018-09-20T16:14:57+01:00February 14th, 2018|Uncategorised|Comments Off on CPR – Construction Products Regulation

CPR – Construction Products Regulation

Understanding CPR

What is CPR?

CPR stands for Construction Products Regulation, denoting a new mandatory European language to express the performance of construction products in the face of fire, ultimately categorising products into performance classes.

When will this happen?

The “Co-Existence” period began on 1st June 2016 and operated for 12 months. From 1st July 2017, cables that are within scope and placed onto the EU market must meet CPR requirements. Products in the market prior to 1st July 2017 and not CE-marked can be sold and installed without breaching CPR, however anything placed in the market after this date must adhere to the regulation.

Why the update?

Every year, many people die or are seriously injured as a result of building fires across the European Union. In 2015/16 in the UK alone, 17% of building fires were caused by Structures and Fittings within a building. Proportionally, 10% of casualties and 4% of deaths were caused by fire as a result of structures and fittings, hence the importance of ensuring that all permanently installed cables are regulated to be as safe as possible to protect lives. Ultimately the objective of CPR is to improve building safety by creating a common set of performance characteristics at national level to ensure everyone in the supply chain complies with the same set of standards. CPR is key for saving lives, helping to provide a safer environment by creating maximum timeframes for people to evacuate a building in the event of a fire.

Which products are affected?

Any cable which is deemed to be permanent once installed is within the scope of CPR, covering power, data and communications cables. In the case of data and communications cables, copper, fibre, coax, and multi-conductor cables are covered, with the exception of patch leads.

Who is affected?

Manufacturers
  • Ensure that products are tested and classified
  • Ensure that the DoP is made available to the purchaser
  • Ensure that the product label carries the appropriate CE-Mark to EN 50575 standard, Euroclass, DoP ID, Notified Body ID and Scheme of Assessment
Distributors
  • Ensure that cables supplied bear the correct CE-marking
  • Ensure that cable supplied is accompanied with all required regulatory documents
  • Ensure not to supply any product that they deem not to conform to its declared performance
  • Ensure that if they believe a product is not in conformity, they withdraw or recall it
  • Ensure product traceability is transparent
  • Alert authorities to any suspicious cable
  • Store and transport cables as not to ruin conformity
Specifiers
  • Across the EU, the regulator or designated authority must set the standard for which class of performance must be used.
  • In the UK there are no official requirements on product performance, so it is down to the individual designer/specifier to detail which class of performance must be used.
Installers
  • Ensure that all installed cable is correctly marked and accompanied with correct DoP
  • Use an appropriate class of performance for each installation; minimum of class E is recommended (class F should be avoided) and where higher safety requirements are stipulated, strive to use a higher class product.
  • If in doubt, contact the distributor or manufacturer for advice.