Safe products used safely: Why the Construction Product Reform will not just set the new standard but level the playing field

Safe products used safely: Why the Construction Product Reform will not just set the new standard but level the playing field

In a recent GGF Regional meeting the topic of conversation was based around the imminent introduction of the Future Homes Standard that has now been published, and what has felt like bombardment of regulatory announcements over the last few years. Consultations, reviews of Harmonised Standards, EU CPR 2024, PAS 24, PAS 2000, and Building Regulation updates, all coming with such frequency that even the most diligent organisations are feeling overwhelmed.

For me though the Construction Product Reform White Paper published on Wednesday 25 February should not be read as another bureaucratic hurdle. It represents a necessary and long‑overdue evolution for the construction sector. A shift from a CE marking system designed primarily to facilitate trade, to one built around safety and accountability, fundamentally building trust across the entire supply chain.

Transparency of Product Information

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry and green paper consultation responses revealed dishonest and misleading marketing and poor-quality product information, making safe specification and installation difficult. The overhauls listed in the new White Paper makes it clear that there will have to be greater transparency around testing and product claims.

For years, the sector has operated in an environment where information is fragmented and often difficult to verify. Product data sits in multiple formats, performance claims are sometimes disconnected from test evidence, and voluntary schemes have operated without consistent oversight. This making extremely difficult as a specifier to compare performance of products side by side.

As the White Paper acknowledges, this has created uneven standards and, in some cases, misleading or incomplete claims making their way into specifications and installations. You overlay this with a complex supply chain, then who takes responsibility when a product is used outside its limitations? The existing regime has struggled to answer these questions with sufficient clarity, particularly for products and systems that fall outside designated standards.

The core principle of the white paper is “safe products, used safely”. However, my take is the central promise of Construction Product Reform is fairness. By introducing explicit duties around product information, traceability and competence, the new regime rewards businesses that already invest in doing things properly. Those with robust test histories, accurate declarations of performance and clear installation guidance will no longer be undercut by competitors relying on vague marketing claims or selective disclosure.

A compliant, successful company under the new regime looks very different from the bare‑minimum operator of the past. It maintains complete and accessible product records, discloses test evidence (including failures where relevant) and ensures that performance claims are aligned with designated standards or, where none exist, the new General Safety Requirement. It understands that UKCA or CE represents constancy with a designated standard, marking is a declaration of performance, not a badge of safety, and what needs to become more visible is the support to various people in the supply chain of its limitations on use.

Just as importantly, it treats competence as part of product safety. For safety‑critical applications such as fire‑resistant glazing, I see installer competence and system‑level assurance becoming integral to compliance, not optional. Quite simply, you need the right skills and knowledge to do the job to the correct standards.  

The OPSS Placing Heat‑Soaking in the Spotlight

The recent Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) report on heat‑soaking should be read as a clear signal of intent. While focused on a specific process, its implications are far broader. The report represents the need for accurate and correct documentation. For the Building Safety Regulator to operate effectively, construction products claims have to be supported by evidence.

Whilst some may see some mistakes on Declaration of Performance (DoPs) as just administrative, incorrect documentation can lead to a significant misspecification. Product information must improve so that those that do provide the best products can clearly demonstrate this and be rewarded for doing so.

Whilst the goal is to align with EU Construction Products Regulation 2024 and updates to designated standards, there may be additional requirements in safety critical products and systems. Factory production controls need to be followed, DoPs need to be accurate and up to date, Initial type testing and production tests must be recorded, and product claims must be supported by evidence.

The big challenge is not just with manufacturers but across the supply chain in ensuring they have the relevant documentation for the products they are specifying or installing, and that when a product is changes the design responsibilities they are taking on. The days of an installer picking up alternate fixings from trade counter on the nearest industrial estate without approval are gone.

Call to Action

The Construction Product Reform recognises that cultural change is as important as legislation. Businesses that embrace digital product information, disclose test histories and invest in competence will find themselves better placed, not only with regulators, but with specifiers, contractors and clients.

In short, the call to action is clear, manufacturers, processors and installers across the glass supply chain should use this moment to audit their product information, and review marketing claims. Transparency is no longer just about compliance; there is a need for integrity both individually and organisationally. Trust in a product doing what it is designed to is the new currency. The challenge is not easy but the sooner you start, the sooner you stand out as the benchmark.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/construction-products-reform-white-paper