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CE Marking & Peter Martin Engineering

Peter Martin Engineering are certified with EN 1090-1:2009 +A1:2011 Execution of Steel Structures and Aluminium Structures – Part 1: Requirements for conformity assessment of structural components. 

CE Marking Summary

EN 1090 and CE Marking for Structural Steel components became a legal requirement under the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) as of the 1st July 2014.

In order to CE Mark structural steelwork, all members of the supply chain (Importers, Designers, Distributors and Manufacturers and their subcontractors) must be certified for compliance with the harmonised standard BS EN 1090 – Execution of Steel Structures and Aluminium Structures. This standard covers fabricated steel and aluminium components for ‘permanent incorporation’ into structures such as buildings, bridges, highways, docks and stadia etc.

EN 1090 in brief

Part one of the standard describes the measures and controls required for conformity assessment in structural steel CE Marking. It specifies how fabricators should demonstrate that the components they produce meet the performance characteristics that are declared, making them fit for use.

Part two of the standard details the technical requirements for the design and manufacture of structural steel, including welding consumables and preparation. It determines requirements that ensure adequate levels of stability, resistance, serviceability and durability are met. These become the performance characteristics that are declared, as required under part 1 of the standard.

Part three of the standard details the technical requirements for the design and manufacture of structural aluminium, including welding consumables and preparation. As above, it determines requirements that ensure adequate levels of stability, resistance, serviceability and durability are met. These become the performance characteristics that are declared, as required under part 1 of the EN1090 standard.

CE Marking requirements for structural steelwork

The FPC is a system of documented procedures, flowcharts, assessment, inspection and test records, which are used to control and fully document the manufacturing process, ensuring consistency and full traceability. This is effectively the factory’s quality management system; it is similar to and shares a number of elements with the ISO 9001 standard for Quality Management Systems.

A documented WQMS must be implemented and maintained in accordance with the relevant part of BS EN ISO 3834. Which part of BS EN ISO 3834 is relevant to the fabricator, will be determined by the Execution Class (EXC – see below) they are seeking to certify / CE Mark fabricated steel to.

Under the WQMS, fabricators working to Execution Class 2, 3 or 4 (EXC – see below), must appoint a responsible welding coordinator (RWC) with the competence and technical knowledge to control and supervise their EN 1090 welding activities. This is usually a competent person from within the fabricator or company, but may also be an outside provider or subcontractor. Competence is assessed on the basis of skills, knowledge and experience; these are demonstrated through evidence such as qualifications, certificates, log book and/or CV.

Those qualified to the following designations are automatically deemed to meet the competency requirements for an RWC:

  • B – Basic: International Welding Engineer (IWE)
  • S – Specific: International Welding Technologist (IWT)
  • C – Comprehensive: International Welding Specialist (IWS)

Other routes to becoming a Responsible Welding Coordinator:

Evidence of an acceptable training course and competence, in line with the requirements of  EN ISO 14731: Welding coordination – Tasks and responsibilities, and the relevant part of EN ISO 3834, Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials. Practical experience in the relevant range of processes may also be acceptable.

BS EN 1090-2 sets out the technical requirements necessary for CE Marking fabricated steel, to ensure steel structures and components meet adequate levels of mechanical resistance, stability, serviceability and durability. The standard then defines four Execution Classes (EXCs), based on the intended use of the structure and the severity of potential impact if it were to fail; they range from EXC1-EXC4, with EXC1 being the least stringent and EXC4 being the most.  The level of checks and controls that must be adhered to increase as the EXC increases.

EXC1: EN ISO 3834-4 – Elementary quality requirements

EXC2: EN ISO 3834-3 – Standard quality requirement

EXC3: EN ISO 3834-2 – Comprehensive quality requirements

EXC4: EN ISO 3834-2 Comprehensive quality requirements

Note: the part of ISO 3834 (i.e. 2, 3, or 4) that the WQMS is certified to, will dictate the maximum Execution Class the fabricator is able to work to – the numbers run the opposite way to the EXCs, i.e. certification to ISO 3834 parts 3 or 4, will only allow working to EXC 2 or 1. Conversely, certification to ISO 3834 part 2 is the highest required for structural steel and covers all EXCs 1 to 4.

Companies can produce work at and below the EXC they are certified to, but not above, i.e those certified to EXC2 (the most common) cannot produce steelwork at EXC 3 or 4.

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For more information on CE Marking or other certifications please contact us directly.