Sector Regulatory Report: Heat soaked thermally toughened glass

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has published their ‘first Sector Regulatory Report’ in construction product sector, specifically on Heat Soaked Thermally Toughened Glass (HSTTG).

It is not a positive outlook with some significant findings. Key findings, as reported, include:

• 'Every manufacturer failed to provide compliant Declaration of Performance for their products – required by law – during the initial inspection.
• Only half of the businesses were able to provide any form of DoP at the point of initial inspection.
• A majority of manufacturers were initially found to be non-compliant with product marking and labelling requirements. 93% of manufacturers were not meeting product labelling requirements, and 86% did not demonstrate compliance with marking requirements.
• Many businesses failed to provide evidence of accurate record keeping, undermining product traceability, reliability and safety. OPSS addressed the most serious cases by issuing nine Prohibition Notices to six manufacturers that failed to produce appropriate Declaration of Performance or initial type testing documentation. The Notices prohibited the businesses from supplying their products in the UK until they had addressed the non-compliances. Evidence relating to eight of the Notices now indicates the businesses have taken the action that OPSS required to comply with the regulations.
• OPSS issued warnings about future conduct to 25 of the 28 inspected manufacturers requiring them to address a range of non-compliance issues. 88% of all actions have been carried out, with 90% of serious non-compliance issues being addressed.'

Their report also highlights:

• 'The issues found during OPSS’ inspections may not be restricted to the processing and supply of HSTTG. The regulatory requirements for initial type testing and factory production control, for example, are common across many glass construction products. The low levels of compliance and regulatory awareness identified in the HSTTG sector may point to systemic non-compliance throughout the wider UK glass industry. Businesses should be reviewing their operations now to assure themselves they are meeting their obligations.'
• 'This is not only an indication of poor manufacturer behaviours. That businesses were found to be supplying HSTTG without accurate or appropriate documentation to verify its production, or support traceability, suggests their customers were not seeking any assurance, or were only applying minimal scrutiny to the products they were receiving. This needs to change too, as more demanding customers can influence supplier behaviours for the better.'

Read the full report here for more information.

Anyone specifying, procuring or otherwise using HSTTG, should be aware of the issues that the OPSS has found, and ensure that they are applying appropriate scrutiny given the issues highlighted within this report.