May 2021

Images opposite, top to bottom: NARM provides a library of freely available technical info on its website; NARM’s ‘carbon footprint’ campaign raised awareness of the role of rooflights in building
energy efficiency; NARM’s current campaign for the use of laminated inner panes on glass rooflights is bringing pressure on the British Standards Institute for a regulatory amendment.
safety of roof workers.
As we know, working on roofs is a high-risk
activity because it involves work at height – and
falls through fragile materials, such as aged
rooflights and asbestos cement roofing sheets,
have historically accounted for a high number of
deaths and injuries.
To address this issue, the ACR[M]001 ‘Red Book’
test was developed by the Advisory Committee for
Roofwork (now Advisory Committee for
Roofsafety), drawing on data supplied by NARM –
an ACR member organisation. This defines a test
for non-fragility which can be applied to any roof
assembly, intended to indicate whether the roof
can support the instantaneous loads imposed by
a person falling or stumbling onto it. It is not a
product test but products such as rooflights can
be tested as part of a roof assembly. It sets a
minimum standard for non-fragility and all
professionals involved with roofing should be
familiar with it. The Health and Safety Executive
and many other prominent roofing trade
associations are also member organisations of ACR.
NARM’s on-line Technical Library contains a
number of documents covering non-fragility in
respect of rooflights, including a handy
‘Quickguide’, which outlines the key points of the
ACR[M]001 test and classifications.
The safety revolution – for building
occupants
During the last year, NARM has launched a
campaign to support the requirement for
laminated inner panes on glass rooflights for
important safety reasons, bringing pressure on
the British Standards Institute for a regulatory
amendment.
Current British Standards still permit the use of
toughened glass (non-laminated) for inner panes
of glass rooflights in some instances, bringing the
risk of shattering and falling glass into the room
below. Using laminated glass inner panes
significantly reduces this risk and is the reason
behind the NARM campaign to ensure all glass
rooflights have laminated inner panes, following a
number of concerning incidents involving poorly
designed or installed glass rooflights – without
laminated inner panes.
NARM has also published a number of technical
documents relating to fire safety, including a new
‘Quickguide’ entitled ‘Definition of geometric free
area for Smoke Vents’, published in early 2021.
Continuing progress on many fronts…
The NARM Council, committees and working
groups meet regularly on-line to address current
issues and drive new initiatives. As examples, the
“NARM has launched a
campaign to support
the requirement for
laminated inner panes
on glass rooflights”
Association is currently consulting its
membership regarding the CPA’s CCPI (Code for
Construction Product Information). NARM has
also recently published a post-Brexit Statement
on the Construction Products Regulation, and the
changes to Product Standards, CE marking and
the introduction of UKCA and UKNI marking of
products. This document, along with many others,
is also available on the NARM website.
NARM represents leading manufacturers and
suppliers of all types of rooflights into the UK
market and works closely with a number of
organisations and other trade associations.
NARM is a member of the RIBA CPD Providers’
Network; The Construction Products Association
and Eurolux, the European trade association
representing rooflight suppliers.
Contact NARM
www.narm.org.uk
@_NARMUK
MAY 2021 TC 33