Langley Reinforced Bitumen Membrane has been awarded the Code for Construction Product Information Mark, following independent assessment of how Langley creates, manages and communicates product information for the system.
Langley introduced the first SBS modified bituminous membrane system to the UK market in 1972. More than fifty years on, the product information Langley publishes for that system has been through independent assessment against the Code for Construction Product Information, and awarded the CCPI Mark.
The Mark has been awarded for Langley Reinforced Bitumen Membrane.
What the Mark applies to
The CCPI Mark applies to information, not to the product itself.
The assessment covers product information for Langley Reinforced Bitumen Membrane as a single system, sampled across the range of material Langley publishes: the performance data in a datasheet, the wording of a specification, what sits on the website, and what the sales team puts in front of a client. Independent assessment gives greater confidence that information is clear, accurate, up to date, accessible and unambiguous, and that the systems and the accountability are there to keep it that way.
Why it matters on a specification
The Building Safety Act changed what a specifier is expected to be able to show. It is no longer enough to have relied on manufacturer information in good faith. The people making design decisions are expected to evidence what they relied on and demonstrate competence in relying on it.
"Specifiers, contractors and architects are among those who make decisions based on the strength of what we publish," says Simon Blackham, Technical Director at Langley. "If the claims we make about our products are written in a way that can be misinterpreted, or are vague, that leaves room for mistakes to be made. What has changed is that we need to be able to evidence the claims we make, ensuring our product information can be relied upon as a source of truth."
The CCPI assessment looks at how that information is created, signed off, kept current, and who is accountable when something changes. It includes a leadership and culture assessment, which examines how responsibility for product information and product safety is held across the business rather than how well a single document is written.
What the Mark commits Langley to
The Mark is uniquely numbered and time limited. It carries an ongoing obligation to notify CCPI of significant changes to how Langley manages product information for the assessed system, and it gives anyone using that information a route to raise a concern directly with CCPI rather than only with Langley.
"Anyone can say their product information is reliable," says Langley CEO Tony Silvestri. "The point of an independent assessment is that you do not have to take our word for it. If we get something wrong, there is now somewhere to take it that isn't us."
Questions worth asking
For specifiers and contractors evaluating product information, the same questions apply whoever the manufacturer is. Is the information you are relying on independently assessed, and for which specific product set? When was it last reviewed, and who is accountable for keeping it current? If you found an error in it, who would you tell, and what would happen next?
Related: Reinforced Bitumen Membrane systems
For more information about Langley Reinforced Bitumen Membrane or to discuss a project, contact us.
