The UK and Europe’s leading shower designer and manufacturer, Roman, has revamped and expanded its testing room where all products are meticulously tested for performance and endurance to ensure conformity to CE Marking for Shower Enclosures after it was introduced as a mandatory legal standard in 2013. The refurbishment has cost over £50,000 and has been greatly assisted by peer brands in the sector such as Hansgrohe.
Roman is planning the transition from CE Marking to UKCA Marking for all products placed on the Great Britain market, in preparation for the change in legislation as of the 1st January 2022. The CE Mark indicates that a product complies with UK regulation, but it is a self-certification scheme and it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to ensure their products conform to the relevant regulations. The BS EN14428 Standard tests for functional requirements to assess whether a shower enclosure meets the EU Construction Products Regulation and can legitimately carry the UKCA/CE Mark.
There are three main tests that need to be carried out on a shower enclosure to ensure it conforms to the BS EN14428 Standard. A water retention test ensures there is no leakage of the products – this is tested with a shower valve set at the stated pressure in the enclosure being tested, for a set amount of time. A cycle rig tests the endurance by opening and closing the shower enclosure door. The cycle rig will open and close the door 20,000 times, which replicates a product lifecycle. A swing ball test uses different weighted balls of up to 50kg to imitate someone falling into a shower enclosure and make sure it is strong enough to withstand the impact. Very importantly all products require traceability to the date of manufacture. Roman records by operator and time – and also takes a digital photograph of each product as its individual code is added before the box lid closes. Peace of mind and proof of provenance are key advantages to boxing manufactured products.
Manufacturers must make the declaration of performance available to customers and resellers such as plumbers who also have a legal responsibility to ensure the products they buy, stock, or specify conform to the standard. Best practice conformity includes CE/UKCA marking details within literature; individual product instructions manuals; and on a website so customers have quick and easy access to the information.
David Osborne, CEO at Roman, commented: “As the leading manufacturer in the sector, Roman takes testing and accreditation very seriously and it is at the heart of our provenance and trust. This fabulous new facility takes it to the next level and future proofs us for the next ten years.”