Standards Development

Scope

BS 9124 Specification for steel and aluminium access cover systems with over 1m clear opening was published in 2008 and is a complementary document to BS EN 124:1994 Gully tops and manhole tops for vehicular and pedestrian areas. Design requirements, type testing, marking, quality control. EN 124 is limited in size to a clear opening of 1.0m however larger clear opening access covers are commonly used in the UK. Therefore, it is crucial to provide a National Standard to accommodate these larger access covers effectively.

EN 124 was subsequently revised and re-published in 2015 in 6 parts which dealt more comprehensively with the range of different materials (including steel and aluminium) used for access covers with EN 124:1994 being withdrawn as superseded. Consequently BS 9124 needs to be revised to align with the current EN 124 Series.

Since the publication of BS 9124:1994 there have been developments in new materials and the absence of a standard for these is perceived as a barrier to innovation and potentially leads to unfair competition between different material sectors. This situation could be improved by embracing a wider range of materials, either in isolation from or integrated with the steel and aluminium products.

Purpose

Updating and extending the materials specifications in BS 9124 will facilitate better choices of material. This contributes to greater longevity once installed, hence supporting a sustainability agenda. The initial view is to continue with a single standard but widen the scope which will require a change in title to remove the restricting words “steel and aluminium”.