From 1st July 2013, any traffic/directional sign erected on a road to which the public has access must be manufactured in accordance with a new CE standard. This applies to any road traffic sign installed on a public highway, car park, petrol station forecourt, airport (landside), supermarket or similar location used by the public.

The new standard BS EN 12899-1: 2007 covers all components used in the manufacture of road traffic signs, including the finished product. Mindful of the importance of this new standard and the impact it will have on UK sign companies, David Catanach, Director of the UK’s governing trade body the British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA), issued the following statement in the latest BSGA Newsletter: “Many sign manufacturers may think that, as they do not provide signs for use on highways, the new CE standard does not affect them. However, Section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulations Act 1984 defines a traffic sign as ‘any object or device for conveying to traffic on roads or any specified class of traffic, warnings, information, requirements, restrictions or prohibitions of any description’. Furthermore, Case Law has established that any road to which the public has access is subject to the new CE standard.”

In effect, what this means is that any sign manufacturer involved in the production and/or supply of signs that will be used on roads used by the public, including those situated on private land, must conform fully to BS EN 12899-1: 2007. Where signs fail to conform, it will now be unlawful to place them on the market. Temporary and gantry signs fall outside the scope of this standard. 

Having pioneered the original use of vinyl-applied road traffic signs with what was described at the time as a revolutionary new material to replace traditional and high maintenance hand-painted signs, diversified technology company 3M, through its Traffic Safety and Security division, has again taken the lead by enabling sign manufacturers to achieve compliance with this latest CE Marking requirement. 3M first gained CE accreditation back in 2006 and has sustained its status by ensuring that all of its reflective sheeting materials used in the manufacture of road traffic signs have been tested and approved by all of the certifying bodies, including the demanding and comprehensive ETA (European Technical Approval) process.

Since sign manufacturers cannot put a CE mark on their products unless these have been assessed as meeting the performance requirements of BS EN 12899-1: 2007, 3M materials cover all of these requirements to help speed up the accreditation process. Significantly, sign manufacturers must also implement a Factory Production Control system in accordance with BS EN 12899-4: 2007 and here 3M experience and technical support could again prove invaluable.

3M has created a specially designed document that takes sign manufacturers through the primary stages of accreditation as well as answering a host of frequently asked questions to enable compliance with the new standard. It also provides details of contacts for the principal UK Notified Bodies (typically, BSI, SGS and LRQA) who will explain all of the testing procedures and product requirements involved to achieve this compliance, including the ETA requirement that ultimately allows a product to be CE marked.

For further information about the CE Mark requirement and the range of CE marked products available from 3M,please visit www.3m.co.uk/traffic