Technical Approvals

Technical Approvals of products by suitably qualified organisations are acceptable under Building Regulations and by major specifiers as the appropriate way of assessing non-standard or new and innovative products.

CARES offers a Technical Approval service to manufacturers of reinforced concrete products as a means to gain official recognition and acceptance for their non-standard or new and innovative products.

CARES' quality and operations assessment schedules

Such products do not usually have recognised product standards by which they can be evaluated. Therefore the product requirements and performance criteria must usually be determined from first principles.

Technical experts will determine the product requirements and product performance criteria consistent with the products declared use. These requirements together with production requirements based on ISO 9001 are defined in CARES' Quality and Operations Assessment Schedules.

Assessment

The manufacturers are subject to a regime of quality auditing and product evaluation in accordance with the appropriate CARES' Quality and Operations Assessment Schedule.

Products are subject to thorough initial product testing and evaluation to ensure that they comply with the criteria defined in the CARES quality and Operations Assessment Schedule.

Once certified, products are subject to a regime of quality inspections and periodic testing to ensure that the product continues to be fit for its intended use.

Recognition of CARES' Technical Approvals

CARES has the following status:

1. UKAS accreditation for Technical Approvals of Construction Products CARES technical approvals can be accepted by major specifiers and satisfy building regulation requirements.

See - Issued Technical Approvals

2. Approved body under the Construction Products Regulation (as amended by the Construction Products (EU exit) Regulations 2019 and 2020. This allows for the issuing of UKCA / UKNI marks for those construction products which have a designated standard or an ETA / UKTA.   

3. UK Technical Assessment Body (UK TAB)

The process for issuing of UK Technical Approvals (UKTA) under the Construction Products Regulations (as amended by the Construction Products (EU exit) Regulations 2019 and 2020 can be found via this link.   

Certification Documents

The scheme requirements are defined in the CARES' Technical Approval Scheme Manual.