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What is the BSI Kitemark?

What is the BSI Kitemark™?

The BSI Kitemark is a third-party certification mark used as an independent verification indicator of conformance to a particular standard. It is a UK product and service quality trademark which is owned and operated by the British Standards Institution (BSI). The Kitemark is most frequently used to identify products where safety is paramount, such as crash helmets, smoke alarms, flood defences and relevant to Wrekin, access covers.

Kitemark logo

Why does it matter?

The BS EN 124:2015 standard for manhole covers and gully grates does not currently incorporate a requirement for UKCA (CE) marking. In the absence of a requirement for UKCA or CE marking, which would require independent product testing, the CEN’s EN 124 and BSI’s BS 7903 technical committees stress that products which conform to the BS EN 124:2015 standard should be assessed by an independent certification body, to provide assured conformance.

BSI’s Kitemark third-party certification mark is also important as it indicates that the product has been independently verified as conforming to a particular standard. However, it is important to note that a particular standard may also stipulate mandatory markings. In Wrekin’s case, the standard is BS EN 124 and it requires the following minimum markings to be present on a product:

  • Number of this European Standard EN 124-2
  • Appropriate class (e.g. D 400)
  • Name and/or identification mark of the manufacturer
  • Factory of manufacture which may be in code
  • Date or week and year of manufacture (coded or not coded)
  • For covers factory filled with concrete marking relating to the freeze/thaw resistance (+R), if applicable (see EN 124-4:2015)

Wrekin led the field in this, by being the first company in the world to achieve the BSI Kitemark for BS EN 124-2:2015 for its entire ductile iron access cover & grating range. Further, Wrekin has long been a technical leader in the field of highway ironwork and was heavily involved in helping to define the revised requirements of BS EN 124-2:2015 and the BSI Kitemark scheme for it.

What should I look out for?

in addition to the above BS EN 124 marking requirements?

BSI stipulate a number of guidelines which must be followed when displaying their Kitemark on a product. This is to provide end customers, or those inspecting the product with proof that the product in question does conform. These rules include:

  • The BSI Kitemark logo must be displayed with the licence number and product standard displayed ideally, underneath but, otherwise, closely located together to indicate their association and to also disassociate them from other standard’s markings on the same product.
  • The BSI Kitemark licence number and logo should be displayed in the same colour.
  • The BSI Kitemark logo and licence text must be of a size that is fully legible (minimum size 5pt).
What to look out for

Did you know?

Safety, quality and durability have been long-held beliefs of ours. That's why Wrekin was the first company to have their entire ductile manhole cover and gully grate ranges Kitemarked by the British Standards Institute to the new BS EN 124-2:2015 standard.

With the BS EN 124-2:2015 standard for manhole covers and gullies not incorporating CE marking for the foreseeable future, and following the strong advice of the CEN Technical Committee responsible for EN124 (TC 165) that products to the new 2015 standard be assessed by an independent certification body, Wrekin led the field by being the first company in the world to achieve the BSI Kitemark for the new standard across our entire range.

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