BMF slams CE legislation

The Builders Merchants Federation have slammed proposed legislation that would make merchants responsible for ensuring that all CE marked products in stock actually comply with their declaration of conformity.
BMF have branded the EU Commission’s proposed Construction Products Regulation ‘unreasonable and unworkable’.

The implication is that, as ‘distributors’, builders’ merchants would be obliged to make sure for every construction product they sell, whether or not it should bear a CE mark, and they should not sell a product that they ‘consider or have reason to believe’ does not confirm with its declared performance levels. Merchants would also be required to check what documentation is necessary, that it is included with the product when sold and that it is up to date.

“Such responsibility is clearly that of the manufacturer or importer and merchants can only be guided by the information that is supplied to them by these parties,” said Federation Secretary Peter Matthews.

“To expect otherwise assumes an unreasonable and unrealistic level of product development knowledge. It is also impractical to expect distributors to hold and maintain all up-to-date manufacturers’ conformity documentation.

“These obligations will increase costs and in many cases will prove impossible for smaller companies to meet within their current staffing structures. Common sense would suggest that the responsibility for ensuring conformity and the maintenance of product data has to be that of the manufacturer.

“The BMF has made its stance clear to the Department of Communities and Local Government and we’re monitoring the situation closely.”