Are you ready for the Construction Products Regulation?

If you manufacture or import products that are incorporated into the structure of a construction then you are likely to be affected by the changes brought about by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
The CPR has already been adopted by the European Commission and UK Government and replaces the Construction Products Directive (CPD).

Kitemark includes the initial type testing required for CE marking, so we can provide the evidence that you need to comply with the new regulations. As a Notified Body, BSI is able to provide expert advice on the requirements of the CPR and its implications for construction products. Find out more about how the CPR affects you.  Find out how BSI can help you prepare for CPR >>

Massive contribution to road safety by BSI!

Spent Road Safety Week arguing in the media over the efficacy of speed cameras. Emotive subject, (and a debate that will run and run) but I’ve yet to see the data that backs up the lofty claims of the billion pound speed camera industry. Understandably they’re worried that council cuts and lack of government funding might slaughter their golden goose. Maybe that’s why they’re so vociferous. BSI on the other hand, just quietly gets on with improving road safety by making both cars and roads better. Not many people know this, but BSI set and monitor world-class standards across a vast range of road and automotive areas. Their contribution to road safety is truly massive.

You probably know all the stuff they do testing motorcycle crash helmets but how about road markings and road studs? Or signs, street lights, breakdown recovery practices and traffic and travel information? BSI has standards for them all. From the transport of dangerous goods through electronic lane departure systems to vehicle component testing, the British Standards Institution has created and set the highest benchmarks possible. Next time you look in your rear view mirror or peer through your windscreen, remember that they’ve both been rigorously tested by the boffins at BSI.

Then there’s the vehicle body repair and garage services standard. These are two vitally important areas where consumers need the highest levels of protection possible because unsafe or badly repaired cars are deeply dangerous and the UK needs much better legislation and higher standards. BSI is in the vanguard of changing the way cars in the UK are maintained and repaired. So when you add the collective road safety benefit of that lot up, it’s considerable. Robust, thoroughly tested standards that make our roads much, much safer.

Why are so many garages so rubbish?

Why are so many garages so rubbish? Recent mystery shopping experiences by Which Magazine and BBC Watchdog have only confirmed what most of us already know - that standards across the car repair industry need a serious overhaul. But here’s the thing. Its not just private consumers who get their legs lifted. Even if you’re in the trade, you get caught out. I have an interest in a used car warranty company and have to use scores of different garages every week. Sadly, I’ve stopped being surprised at the variable standards and disappointing attitudes.

Yesterday we got a quote of £4,900 for a new engine on a customer’s Renault. When I mentioned to the service manager that the bill would be significantly more than the car was worth, he rapidly backtracked and admitted that he could actually fix the engine with a new oil pump and main bearing shells for around £450. Adding lamely, ‘Oh, sorry for the mix up’. Another customer had a problem with the heated rear window on his convertible. The dealer said that a replacement rear glass wasn’t available and the only answer was a whole new canvas roof at £5,000. Our auto electrician diagnosed a faulty switch and changed it for just a £100. If I’m being had over, what hope is there for normal motorists?

If the garage industry doesn’t have a solid and recognisable set of standards things will only get worse. Worse for consumers and worse for the industry. That’s why the BSI Kitemark scheme is so important. Customers will be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief and the industry will raise its game. Everybody will benefit. And I’m not the only one who’s concerned. This month in an online poll of garage aftermarket professionals 89% said that the BSI Kitemark for garages was the most robust standard and that it should be adopted nationally. In the same poll 60% said that mandatory licensing was the only solution to the industry’s image problems and that a badge of professionalism was badly needed. Good to hear that at least some garages agree that the Big Change really is needed.

But until that Big Change happens, and you want to be sure of getting a fair and professional service when you take your car for repair, look for the BSI Kitemark symbol. At the moment, by the industry’s own admission, it’s the only garage code that really takes standards seriously. And, call me old fashioned, but when it comes to cars repairs and safety, high standards and professionalism are two things you just can’t have enough of.

Weary Motorist? Join my campaign for better car servicing.

Making things better for consumers shouldn’t be so hard. Often there’s no obvious money to be made, the established order doesn’t like it, there’s always a haystack of hidden agendas working against you and sometimes it feels easy as trying to move the Albert Memorial. But, (and this is why we do it) positive change helps people lead safer and more reliable lives.

Take the car repair game. It’s broadly unregulated, standards are surprising variable and most UK motorists don’t feel they get value for money. Sure, there’s a whole hill of motor industry schemes, codes and associations that promise accountability and arbitration, but most require just the simple signing of a cheque to be a member and the garage concerned is rarely checked, monitored or ever audited. Call me old fashioned, but that’s sloppy.

The British Standards Institution has its own Kitemark garage scheme that really is the industry gold standard. To wear the hallowed Kitemark brand, garages need to be trained, premises and kit inspected, they’re mystery shopped and regularly audited. And if they don’t measure up or fail their customers, they’re out on their ear. Kitemark demands total customer dedication and the highest industry standards possible. BSI means professionalism.

And we’re not the only ones passionate about customer rights and protection. Robert Halfon, MP for Essex, has just tabled a motion in parliament to review the protection for motoring consumers. Like all of us at BSI, he believes we need a clear and consistent set of standards across the garage servicing and repair industry to stop the rip-offs, irregularities and rapacious charging that’s sadly becoming too common. Halfon believes that the UK deserves better car repair standards and other MPs do as well.

But here’s the crazy bit. To be a Kitemark approved garage costs just a few pounds a day and every garage that’s joined the scheme so far says it’s made a significant difference to their business and turnover. Consumers love the peace of mind it brings too. Everybody gets a better deal. So answer me this? Why is getting the car service and repair industry to understand all these simple principles like wrestling with a mattress full of treacle? Is it just me, or could some garages actually be afraid of practicing higher standards?

So if you’re a garage owner, an MP or just a weary motorist, join my campaign for better car servicing and repairs. BSI has already transformed the accident repair industry and we’re determined to do the same with garages. Because this is 2010 and getting your car serviced and repaired safely, professionally at a fair and reasonable price shouldn’t be like throwing a dice. Things need to change.

Kitemark a silent revolution

Funny how everybody is suddenly talking about quality? Takes a collapsing economy to make us rethink what's important. We've had a decade of shoddy service, poor products and low standards. But now consumers want more. I've been banging on about quality for years and I'm relived to say there's a whiff of change in air. A silent revolution. We've had enough of being had over.

But through all the greed, profiteering and corner-cutting of the last ten years, the British Standards Institution has been diligently testing stuff to make sure its safe reliable and does what its supposed to. That tiny Kitemark triangle is this country's most trusted quality benchmark and one that I'm enormously proud to be associated with. BSI raises standards and makes things better. They're quiet guardians of quality.

And in our brave new world of change BSI is going to make sure this quality revolution gets some deep traction. I want to see UK consumers getting world-class products and services by demanding that they're properly assessed and tested. I want that Kitemark on as many things as possible. From garages and body shops to solar panels and energy efficient windows, in 2010 quality should be a given. And that's where you come in.

Ask for the Kitemark by name and try, whenever possible, to choose products and services that have been through the BSI testing processes. Because, and here's the thing, if enough people start demanding quality, that silent revolution will become a strident noise. Standards will shoot up, services will improve and we'll all feel much more reassured. And a culture of quality is precisely what we need to help pull us out of this recession. Bring it on.