VIEWPOINT CODE OF CONDUCT
Steve Marr, new Interim CEO of Construction Product Information Limited outlines what the Code for Construction Product Information sets out to achieve and why it matters.
PRODUCTS USED THROUGHOUT the life cycle of a building have a critical impact on its safety. It is a point Dame Judith Hackitt made repeatedly in her report Build- ing A Safer Future, published in response to the Grenfell fire. Her report highlighted
disingenuous marketing practices and misleading con-struction product information. In her conclusions she said: “Products must be properly tested and certified, and labelled and marketed appropriately”. Rather than waiting for legislation, responsible
manufacturers took the initiative and set about driving change through the development of The Code for Con-struction Product Information (CCPI).
The code sets out to ensure that product information is clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous. The hope is that designers, specifiers and contractors will use products that have CCPI compliant information and manu-facturers whose information can be trusted. The Code requires that “performance and characteristic product information is clear, up- to-date and accessible so that it can be relied upon, by competent users, when making product comparisons and selections for their projects and/or intended
applications.” As such, the CCPI will be a key element in help-ing the construction industry deliver safer buildings.
Participation in the CCPI is voluntary. Manufacturers who sign up to the code agree to have their product information assessed and verified against 11 clauses. These cover every aspect of product information material, from elimi-nating vague, emotive or inexact language, through to a requirement that all claims about compliance or performance be backed up by valid and demon-strable documentation on request.
The Code also requires manufacturers to have
processes in place to ensure that information is kept up to date, and that standards or test data referenced are the most recent versions.
Those eleven clauses also take account of handling, installation, operation, maintenance and product disposal and warranties. Of particular relevance to merchants is Clause 8, which includes making information available on safe manual and mechanical handling requirements along with safe storage and transport requirements “to ensure the declared performance has not been compromised”.
When making any claims of
guarantees and/or warranties, Clause 9 requires manufacturers to state what is covered, excluded and also what is required to comply with its terms in “a format recognised by the relevant sector of industry”.
The final two Clauses require manufacturers to ensure those staff providing product information to specifers, including on issues such as fire safety, thermal performance or embodied carbon, are competent to do so.
To ensure staff competence, the Code requires a manufacturer to have in place a robust training programme for both new and existing personnel to en- sure those conveying product information have the level of knowledge and ex-perience required for their role.
In addition, the manufacturer’s technical helpline contact details must be visible on their webpage. Of course, much of what is set out above could have been imposed by legisla-tion. What sets the CCPI apart is that it is not only about ensuring a robust product information management system. It goes further than that, aiming to drive change in the industry by focusing on the culture, leadership and ethics of a manufacturing organisation. It does this through implementation
of an anonymous staff Leadership and Culture Survey.
Organisations that do not demonstrate “a culture maturity consistent with the expectations required to meet the CCPI framework” will not be verified as con-forming with the CCPI and will instead be expected to implement an improvement plan. In preparation for the rollout of the Code, many product manufacturers have been working their way through the significant undertaking of reviewing all their product literature and ensuring staff have the necessary training and competency to convey product information. With much of this detailed technical work complete, the next stage is to set up a system for objective verification of the organisations themselves. I am de-lighted that the first wave of manufacturers will start the CCPI verification journey in the coming months.
Product information reviewed under the CCPI terms will carry the CCPI verification mark which will be valid for up to two years. For mer-chants, it will provide reassurance of the reliability and honesty of the product information that they rely on in order to provide their customers with the most appropriate products. BMJ
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www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net March 2023
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