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Standards

Introduction

The British Standards Institution (BSI) was the world’s first national standards body. Recent years have seen the development of European standards which are the responsibility of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) of which BSI is a member. CEN standards will become national standards.

BS EN ISO 9000

Most people are aware of the "procedural" standard BS EN ISO 9000 (formerly BS 5750) which has world-wide acceptance. However, it is acknowledged that quality of procedures and processes is not, in itself, sufficient to guarantee the quality of the product.

Product Standards

Until recently, the only British Standard relating directly to blinds or shutters has been BS 3415, Venetian Blinds which was last revised in 1986. This standard is now obsolescent.

Since the commencement of work on CEN standards for blinds and shutters, the BBSA has taken a leading role in their development.

The role of CEN is:

• To remove national standards which could be used as technical barriers to trade
• To produce uniform standards to allow comparison of products throughout Europe

There are three main product standards which are, in turn, supported by a range of additional standards. The main standards are as follows:

• BS EN 13120:2009 - Internal blinds - Performance requirements including safety
• BS EN 13561:2004 - External blinds - Performance requirements including safety
• BS EN 13659:2004 - Shutters - Performance requirements including safety

Requirements include:

It is not obligatory for all products to meet these standards other than the mandated requirements of EC Directives.

EC Directives

EC Product Directives are introduced to promote trade by removing technical barriers and by introducing harmonised requirements. Two main EC Directives affect blinds and shutters:

• The Construction Products Directive
  This Directive covers 6 essential requirements for construction products. The one that applies to blinds and shutters is Safety in Use. They must be designed and installed in such a way so as not to present unacceptable risks of accidents in service or in operation. Also, resistance to wind load is a mandated requirement for external blinds, awnings and shutters.
• The Machinery Directive
  The Machinery Directive was introduced to harmonise essential health and safety requirements for the supply of machinery across the European Union.

The definition of "machinery" includes all blinds, awnings and shutters with power operating systems; manually operated blinds and shutters are, however, excluded from the definition of "relevant machinery".