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.