VIEWPOINT THE GRADING BUNCH


Increasing quantities of substandard roof batten are finding their way to the UK market. Shaun Revill, trading director at SR Timber, explains what to look out for.


THE NATIONAL FEDERATION of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has issued safety alerts (most recently in September this year) urging roofers to check that the roofing battens they are using are compliant with BS 5534. Despite repeated warnings there are still substandard battens finding their way into merchants and then on to roofs in the UK.


This is very worrying. Non- compliant battens can provide a serious health and safety risk when used by roofers as a foothold, either as part of the original roof installation or years later when an operative is carrying out repairs to that roof. The document HSG33: Health and Safety in Roof Work published by the HSE says that to be safe battens must meet the grading requirements specified in BS 5534: Code of practice for slating and tiling.


In addition to putting operatives at risk of harm, the inferior quality of counterfeit battens will also reduce the roof’s longevity. SR Timber recommends carrying out spot checks on deliveries of graded batten as a first step in


Supplier


Documentation covering graded batten delivery should show the following as a minimum, eg on delivery notes: ¡ Name of Supplier ¡ Origin (imported and/or species code) ¡ Graded in accordance with BS 5534 ¡ Basic size or sizes ¡ Type of preservative and method of treatment (the majority of batten required is specified and should be treated – so the preservative and method should be shown) it should also be stated that the batten is treated to Use Class 2.


ensuring any delivery of batten is fully compliant with BS 5534. The problem for many merchants and roofers is that to the untrained eye it can be difficult to tell the difference between battens that are compliant and those that are not. To assist merchants, SR Timber has a downloadable handy Guide to Graded Roofing Batten. This Guide outlines four important checks that will help to confirm that any batten purchased conforms to BS5534.


Sizing


Graded Batten comes in 2 width dimensions: 38mm and 50mm – however, both should be 25mm in thickness. Thickness must be a minimum of 25mm to a maximum of 28mm (-0mm / +3mm). The width tolerance is -3mm / +3mm, so on 38mm batten, a minimum of 35mm to a maximum of 41mm. On a 50mm batten a minimum of 47mm to a maximum of 53mm.


Standard


Every single batten must be stamped with the details BS 5534 says it must have.


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“Despite repeated warnings


there are still substandard battens finding their way into merchants and then on to roofs in the UK.”


¡ Name of supplier (the manufacturer) ¡ Origin (imported and/or the species code) ¡ Graded BS5534


As recommended by the NFRC, and, in fact, deemed industry best practice, the batten should also be stamped with an independent third-party accreditation schem. Whichever independent body is used, it should be UKAS accredited.


Good suppliers also state and should offer the following: ¡ Full chain of custody certification, eg FSC(R) and / or PEFC with valid certification showing the supplier’s name ¡ 3rd Party Accreditation (their ID markings / who it is)


Knots and other characteristics


The size of any knots on the face of the batten (the 38/50mm surface) should also be checked to ensure compliance with the standard.


The rules on knots are quite complicated, but if any knot is bigger than half the width of the batten and appears on the top and bottom surface, it is most probably outside the allowed tolerance and will not comply with the standard. Knots smaller than 5mm diameter are allowed anywhere. The SR Timber “Guide to Graded Roofing Battens” highlights other permissible characteristics which can be found on the SR Timber website. Of course, the simplest way of ensuring roof battens are compliant is to look for the distinctive golden orange colour used on SR Gold Battens. BMJ


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2023


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