Sub-Standard Roofing Battens in UK Market–What to Know

The NFRC and timber batten suppliers are again seeing an abundance of sub-standard roofing battens within the UK market that are being marked, coloured and sold as BS 5534 compliant, when in fact they are counterfeit.These sub-standard goods are becoming an increasingly serious issue for merchants, roofing contractors and their clients.

Using non-compliant battens may result in the contractor having to strip and re-roof a property should the battens be proven to be substandard, and a significant health and safety risk is created by the contractor using non-compliant battens as a foothold as this is in contravention to the guidelines set out in HSG33: Health and Safety in Roofwork.

Using battens that have an inferior quality to certified roofing battens will reduce the longevity of the roof and can potentially put roofing operatives at risk of harm.

BS 5534 states that all graded roofing battens should be marked with the elements shown in Figure 1. However, marking alone is not proof that the batten has been graded correctly or that it is of the correct standard.

Guidance on this can be found in the NFRC safety alert “Substandard roofing battens”. A toolbox talk has also been produced to highlight what you need to do, and think about, before and during the installation of roofing battens.