Video Feature...
Agricultural Buildings Show Post Event Press Release
CE Marking for farm buildings should prevent further collapses
It’s too late to help the owners of the 4,000 farm buildings that collapsed during the past two winters, but forthcoming CE marking for the design and construction of farm buildings will help ensure such catastrophes don’t happen again.
At the recent Agricultural Buildings Show at the NAC, Stoneleigh, Geoff Simpson, managing director of S&A Fabrications told a packed seminar audience that while some of the buildings that fell were undoubtedly old and structurally weak, some were relatively new and one was even brand new and had never been used.
Startling pictures of the carnage wreaked by the weight of snow on buildings drew audible gasps from the audience. “As far as we know, nobody has been killed in any of these incidents, but there have been some very narrow escapes. One dairy herdsman left the building seconds before it fell; and another came down while the farmer’s daughter was riding her pony inside,” said Mr Simpson. A large number of stock have, however, been killed in building collapses.
According to Mr Simpson these buildings failed for a number of reasons including their age, insubstantial or incorrect connections to foundations, too light steel structures as well as a lack of strengtheners in the buildings or steelwork. In some cases bolts failed because they were simply too small, while in others the spans were too wide. Also in other instances a new building erected too close to existing units allowed snow to fall from one roof onto another, demolishing it in the process.
Currently the farm building industry is unregulated in England and Wales. There is a British Standard - BS 5502 – but compliance is not mandatory. In Scotland, where many buildings came down, planners do require evidence of structural design.
But from 2013 all steel, concrete and timber frames used in the UK will have to be CE Marked. This will ensure that manufacturers will need to not only design the building to the correct standards, but also have a factory quality control system in place that complies with the relevant Euro codes.
CE Marking, says Tony Hutchinson, national secretary of the event’s associate, the Rural & Industrial Design and Building Association (RIDBA), is a big step for frame manufacturers, because in the past England and Wales had no checks that a frame has been designed correctly.
“This past lack of inspection does, undoubtedly, mean that some agricultural buildings have not been correctly designed and are not fit for purpose, but farmers have had no way of knowing,” he adds.
To help both its own members and their customers, RIDBA is working closely with industry specialists to ensure the necessary designs, checks and procedures are put in place by 2013, when CE Marking becomes mandatory.
“This is why it is so important that the farmer buys his buildings from a reputable frame manufacturer such as a RIDBA Corporate member who will have CE Marking procedures in place and will have also signed the RIDBA Code of Practice and agreed to comply with the Complaints Procedure,” he added.
In the meantime Geoff Simpson of S&A Fabrications warns farmers considering erecting a new building to think carefully before committing to what is often the cheapest quote. He advises potential purchasers to consider the following points:
* Get three quotes, but do not assume they are for the same specification
* Consider using a structural engineer to assess the design
* Visit the manufacturer’s premises and look at their previous work
* Ask for and take up references from other farmer customers
* Insist the building complies with BS 5502
* Insist that whoever supplies or erects the building is a RIDBA member.
“Different quotes may look the same, but they can vary significantly in terms of specifications and how strong the building will be. Ask what you are getting, and ensure that your potential supplier takes you through the quote so you understand exactly what is involved,” adds Mr Simpson.
Thursday 31st of March 2011
LATEST NEWS...
Loading Latest News...
