BCSA publishes no-deal Brexit conformity guide

The British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) has published a guide outlining how the steel construction sector can meet the requirements of UKCA Marking in the event of the UK exiting the European Union (EU) with no deal.

Should a no-deal exit occur, the government will immediately introduce UK Conformity Assessed Marking (UKCA Marking) on exit day, although the CE Marking of construction products will still be permitted for a limited time period (currently unspecified).

The legislation that will make this change has already been drafted and will become UK law if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

After a no-deal Brexit, UKCA or CE Marking remains mandatory for all construction products covered by a UK Designated Standard.

This includes fabricated structural steelwork, and engineers, contractors and steelwork specialists will need to understand their obligations and how the new UKCA Mark works.

The BCSA supplement, available at www.steelconstruction.info/UKCA_Marking highlights the straightforward process that companies involved in steel construction need to follow in order to continue to comply with the Construction Products Regulation, which is the legal basis for both UKCA and CE Marking.

The BCSA said there will be no disruption to the regular supply of fabricated structural steelwork from accredited sources. It has been mandatory for BCSA members to be compliant with CE Marking since the introduction of the harmonised standard for fabricated structural steelwork, BS EN 1090-1 on 1 July 2014. This will continue to be the case for UKCA Marking.