With the Government forever trying to merge products and materials to meet with European Standards, will things ever really be equal within Europe, do they really meet with our high expectations?
The old BSI kitemark will soon be a thing of the past if it isn ’t already, new EU standards seem to be the universal achievement currently holding manufacturers to ransom. The only problem is… how rigorous are these standards and can one standard really meet all european countries requirements.
I only mention this because for work, this subject is very emotive and on a social level my cycling and motorcycling passion come under the same scrutiny for protective apparel. I like sticking with names I can trust such as Arai, Aplinestar, Sidi etc… and the standards they set still aim to appease the British Standards product testing but the actual standard now in place and accepted by governing bodies are far short of these, the outcome is that the market is flooded with cheap, albeit very affordable, products from all over the world.
The same questions can be asked within the construction industry, how good are the EN Standards that have been set up and monitored by the CEN ( European Committee for Standardization ).
You only have to look around you when traveling through most European countries, the buildings and part finished which gives a chance to take on board the methods used for construction in those areas, at best they look like a bisected clay flake, rendered both side and painted.
A majority of scaffolding seems archaic (no doubt supplied by the local wonky eyed Joe) all the electrical wiring used as convenient hanging loops for months whilst the building is left exposed to the elements!
So where is the rigorous insulation requirements, Part P electrical certifications, HSE monitoring of the site safety…
In fairness there are a couple of other countries within the EU that currently maintain and implement similar standards and no doubt they too are asking the same questions so this is not the defamation of individuals but more a rant at European directives in general.
Thankfully from a vocational perspective, we have a system in place to monitor the design, product, workmanship and construction of buildings within Great Britain.
We as a country have and always will have high expectations with extremely high standards and it will be a very long time before Europe in general becomes a level playing field!
