INSULATION PRODUCTS STANDARDS*

By spending money on insulation products, you want not only to insulate your home, but also to be sure that this product meets all standards or Building Regulations. You probably want to buy a product that has already been tested by relevant institutions such as the BBA organisation.
In this article we are going to cover understanding, the value of BBA agreement certificate, what it covers but what it does not as well and the details that make up an agreement certificate.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INSULATION PRODUCTS STANDARDS
BBA CERTIFICATION MEANING 
BBA CERTIFICATION HISTORY
BBA CERTIFICATE STRUCTURE BREATHLY EXPLAINED
WHAT BBA CERTIFICATE COVERS AND WHAT ACTUALLY DOESN’T COVER
BBA CERTIFICATE SEARCH - HOW CAN I OR WHERE CAN I GO TO MAKE SURE AN AGREEMENT CERTIFICATE IS STILL VALID?


BBA CERTIFICATION MEANING 


BBA in other words means British Board of Agrément is a trusted independent UK high authority certification organisation within the construction industry, indicating a high quality, experienced and reliable company or product, all against the relevant regulations and standards. Each certificate is designed to be a detailed summary of the assessed scope and bespoke to the application for the specific product  or system. The certificate is NOT a single snapshot in time but is an ongoing life cycle, it provides so much more information than a single test and certainly more than conformity markings like UKCA or CE marking which are the minimum level for an independent certification.
Agrément certificates cover 200 different product sectors and the largest of these are insulation and roofing.
Moreover, insulation products that have been tested and BBA certified as safe and fit-for-purpose are subjected to continuous inspection to ensure they remain so. The BBA Audit and Inspection team are continuously making sure the above happens!
To ensure certified product remains valid against regulations and standards and a criteria used for the initial assessment, an ongoing maintenance schedule is arranged between manufacturer and the BBA for the duration of the certificate. It’s critical that it answers, and provides information, which enables decision-making. BBA are actually for-profit organisation limited by guarantee which means it will always look to reinvest in the industry for the benefit of clients.
The BBA consists of three main operations, Product Approval and Certification, Inspection and Test Services.

 

BBA CERTIFICATION HISTORY

 

BBA was originally set up in 1966 by the government. Ownership of the BBA is held by its Governing Board, consisting of three executive and four non-executive directors. Today, the BBA is accredited by UKAS to provide Environmental Certification to the ISO 14000 series and operates appropriate internal controls.
With a 50-year legacy as a trusted certification body, the BBA develops long-term partnerships with clients, assisting in the innovation and development of products and services, enabling continued commercial growth in the UK.
BBA issued more than 6000 certificates to date and had an annual inspections rate of over a 1000 inspections over  50 years. The BBA employs approximately 185 people, most of whom are based at their offices and testing facilities near Watford, and the remainder are inspectors geographically located around the UK with access to the BBA’s electronic systems allowing them to work remotely.


BBA CERTIFICATE STRUCTURE BREATHLY EXPLAINED

It is critical that it provides answers and information which enables the decision making process or decision maker.
The structure of an agreement certificate is usually made up of a number of parts. No part of it should ever be read in isolation from the others.


bba document structure

First of all the agreement certificate consists of a front page which provides a very high level overview of the content.
It is followed by regulations pages. They simply apply to that product in the application that is being assessed. The document gives technical specifications and generally these include drawings, details, measurements and components of the system. It also follows with information around the assessments that organisations have carried out and technical investigations that conclude the data and information that is being described in the certificate.
BBA documents also run over some sections that detail items such as maintenance, recycling, relevant risks, and logical considerations. Lastly, the certificate will also make references to any additional resources that we have taken into consideration during certification. These may be documents, standards that help organisations interpret the results of that product. The BBA testing process can take anywhere between a few months and 18 months.

 

WHAT BBA CERTIFICATE COVERS AND WHAT ACTUALLY DOESN’T COVER

 

What a Certificate covers :


  • It covers important information about the product and appropriate use and applications.
  • It also provides and covers short and long-term performance that have been assessed.
  • Information required for satisfactory delivery (site handling, installation and maintenance)
  • Where and how a product complies with the relevant building regulations.
  • In some situations, informations around appropriate installers and the ISO accreditation would be available in Certificate

 

 

What a Certificate does not cover:
 

  • Guarantees or warranties.
  • Promotional or instruction manuals relating to design,commercial distribution, installation.
  • Detail around where the product is not fit for purpose,nor the consequences of poor installation.
  • Any unregulated attributes that may be used as promotional information such as the circular economy,carbon content.
  • Detail on the suitability for application on a particular site.

 

BBA CERTIFICATE SEARCH - HOW CAN I OR WHERE CAN I GO TO MAKE SURE AN AGREEMENT CERTIFICATE IS STILL VALID?

First of all you should visit the web page. Next, scroll right to the bottom and look for the section where you can search for the certificate whether you know the certificate number, whether you know the product name or whether you know the company which is the certificate holder.
You could do a quick search as a first choice. If it doesn’t come up it potentially means that certificate may be either suspended or withdrawn. You can also call BBA on +44 (0) 1923 665300


bba certificate search

bba certificate search window


BIBLIOGRAPHY
 

1. youtube.com, ‘How to Interpret an Agrément Certificate part 1 of 5’, mpeg, July 7, 2021, accessed October 21, 2022.

 

 

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