Manufacturer and fabricator trade body the British Association of Reinforcement (BAR) and The Welding Institute are next week due to issue revised guidance to members on welding steel rebar that contains other metals.
The move is one of the outcomes of a meeting held at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills last month, convened to discuss concerns that imported Chinese steel rebar and other steel products containing high levels of boron could potentially cause safety issues on UK sites.
The guidance will incorporate the latest update on the situation from CARES, the Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels, and The Welding Institute, and will be disseminated to industry trade associations and media by BAR.
The meeting was called by BIS to discuss safety concerns raised principally by UK Steel, the trade body which represents UK-based steel producers such as Tata Steel and Celsa. However, in three cases where concerns were raised, the Chinese rebar in question was demonstrated by CARES to meet the BS 4449:2005 standard.
In addition, an investigation into the way CARES handled the queries, by the UK Accreditiation Service, concluded that it had acted fairly and properly.
The debate that preceded the meeting had been fractious with the International Steel Trade Association (ISTA), which represents importers, arguing that UK Steel was unnecessarily raising the alarm over Chinese steel in order to protect its members’ markets from an influx of cheap Chinese imports.
The meeting was also attended by BAR, the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), ISTA and representatives of Trading Standards. In addition, Laing O’Rourke’s David Scott represented the Construction Leadership Council.
According to UK Steel director Gareth Stace, the revised guidance will consolidate what is currently known about rebar containing other elements in alloy, and will be followed by further discussion between BIS and interested parties. Asked if Chinese rebar was safe to use on site he said:“It’s safe if you’re aware of the issues and take appropriate action,” he said.
The meeting also discussed the issue of identifying imported Chinese steel plates and sections that did not conform to CE marks. While there has been no evidence of steel that failed to meet the standards for CE marks being imported, several industry associations, including UK Steel, the Construction Products Association and the BCSA, have raised concerns that Trading Standards officers tasked with monitoring ports are not equipped to assess whether or not steels do in fact meet the EU standards.
On the question of CE-marked plates and sections, Stace said: “I have no idea if non-compliant steel is coming in, but if there is, who is going to police it? Trading Standards have limited resources, so it’s actually difficult for them to police every bit of steel coming in to the UK ports. It’s a problem, but there’s no immediate solution.”
