Construction Fixings

Demand from the construction industry is the drive behind why JCP Fixings – the fixings division of Owlett-Jaton – invests heavily, in time and effort, to offer ETA/UKTA certificated products for the majority of its structural products to its customers.

An ETA/UKTA is an official document relating to a specific construction product, valid in the European Union and the UK. Although it is a voluntary document, regulated by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), it will also be a key requirement to unlocking other affiliated documentation recognised within the construction industry – by architects, specifiers, engineers, and other key decision makers.

An ETA/UKTA will be required to achieve a CE/UK Conformity Assessed (CE/UKCA) mark, as legislation changes in-line with Brexit. The CE/UKCA mark will indicate conformity with the applicable requirements for products sold within the European Union and the UK. It is also a document upon which a Declaration of Performance (DoP) can be based for a product. An ETA/UKTA can be issued specifically for a construction product if it is not covered by a Harmonised European Standard (hEN).

To achieve an ETA/UKTA, the JCP technical team collaborates and works closely with national and international Technical Assessment Bodies (TAB) to test, investigate, and draft, a product’s essential characteristics. JCP’s technical team identifies the characteristics that they wish to indicate ahead of the respective CE/UKCA Markings, as well as Declaration of Performances (DoP).

The process can involve hundreds of tests, investigations and reports. The TAB is responsible for determining the scope of the product’s application. Once finalised and agreed, a technical file is prepared, which includes the detailed technical definition of the product; the intended use of the product; the manufacturing principles; control over the consistency of performance; and an illustration of the performance levels being declared.

The TAB investigates all elements and from this, drafts an assessment report (otherwise known as an Evaluation Report). Based on the results, an ETA/UKTA document would be issued for the respective product and its intended use.

Benefits to achieving an ETA/UKTA

Other than being a fundamental criterion in attaining either a CE/UKCA or DoP, benefits to achieving an ETA/UKTA include an improved and thorough technical understanding of the product’s capabilities; being able to control and maintain the processes involved in manufacturing; ensuring the continued quality of the product; as well as the recognition within the construction industry. All of the product’s necessary characteristics are also defined for design purposes and the intended use of the product is definitive.

Although applying for an ETA/UKTA is voluntary, most design companies and engineers almost always opt for approvals. Moreover, national and international technical and standardisation institutions recognise and actively promote and encourage them too.

JCP Fixings concludes: “It is important to highlight that similar ETA/UKTA approved products on the market do not necessarily meet the same high results as those achieved and provided by JCP Fixings. Therefore, when cross referencing different products, a thorough comparison is strongly recommended.”