How to Ensure Compliance With the UK’s Regulation 4

In the UK, the installer of a water fitting product carries the main burden of proof of its compliance with Regulation 4 of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations. Confidence in compliance status is crucial.

P&H Engineering describes the challenge well in their Regulation 4 Compliance technical article, stating, “Unfortunately, it is not illegal for manufacturers to make products that don’t comply with the regulations. It is also perfectly legal for merchants to sell non-compliant products. However, these products become an offense once fitted, so it is the engineers/installers that are liable. The duty lies with the installer to ensure that every product component that is connected to a water supply or management meets the relevant regulations.”

For the longest time, WRAS Approval was one of the only ways to show compliance with Regulation 4, and that is what installers/plumbers are accustomed to looking for, for that added assurance.

However, WRAS Approval isn’t the only way to show compliance with Regulation 4 anymore.

NSF REG4–UKAS-accredited to ISO/IEC 17065 –provides an alternative for proving compliance.

This certification applies to all mechanical products and non-metallic materials that are in contact with drinking water, including:

• Valves, backflow prevention devices, taps, mixers, shower heads, pipes and fittings, tanks, cisterns, and water meters – in fact, all products that are connected to the water supply
• All non-metallic materials, including plastics, rubbers, coatings, cements, resins and sealants

There was simply a market need for a way for products to prove timely compliance. NSF already provides testing for many WRAS approvals at our laboratory in Wales, plus we have the in-house technical expertise to make faster certification decisions without sacrificing thoroughness.

1. Check NSF’s online listings to see, in real-time, which products are NSF REG4 certified.
2. Look for the NSF REG4 certification mark. Remember, no matter whether certified to NSF REG4 S3 or 1+, a product or material with an NSF REG4 certification mark has proven compliance with Regulation 4.