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Approvals - safety and responsibility W


hen it comes to discussing approvals, there are two sides to the story. Firstly there is no doubt that they


are used as a trade barrier, and in some cases rightly so - ‘you won’t buy my products so why should I buy yours’ is an attitude that is being adopted by an increasing number of countries. The other side of the issue is very much related to safety (does the product meet the appropriate specifi- cation) allowing it to be used safely in a given application.


Testing


Around the world there are many test houses making a living testing manu- facturers’ products against specific test requirements to confirm the products meet the claimed requirements. UL, CSA, KEMA, ASTA and VDE are just some of these. Today there are companies that are long established in the UK electrical industry that are having products manufactured overseas. Companies involved are often reluctant to admit this, wanting to maximise the opportu- nity for higher pricing than would often be the case if they openly made a point that for instance, it’s made in China or India.


Made in China is itself an interest- ing situation. The Chinese have their own approvals - CCC (Chinese Certificate of Conformity) - basically electrical components sold inside China have to have CCC approval. However, this does not apply to prod- ucts sold outside of China - they do not need anything. Surely an interest- ing question arises here - why not? Because of this it is surely crucial that people buying and reselling such


components are certain the products in question are fit for purpose and that they meet the appropriate speci- fication. A certain way of ensuring this is to pay a third party test house to ensure that the appropriate tests laid down in any given specification are met.


How else can one be sure that, for instance, an MCB or an RCD are just that and not just plastic shells housing old nails? Think about it, how do you know? It’s only when an MCB has to trip in anger that the truth will be known, and if the product does not do its job properly the consequences can be dramatic, with ultimately the responsibility going back down the line to include not just the manufac- turer but the reseller and installer.


Duty of care


It has to be accepted that electricity in the wrong hands is very danger- ous - in fact it can be lethal and can be responsible for fires and even explosions. Resellers and installers of any electrical equipment have a duty of care to ensure a; the product is fit for purpose and b; is safely and properly installed. Today the UK is (and in my opin- ion very unfortunately), far less con- cerned with ‘a job safely and well done’, and much more concerned in profit and low cost - in fact there is very much an attitude of let’s go to the local DIY store and buy some fairly advanced piece of kit, for instance a consumer unit, MCBs and an RCD, and have a go. Selling this sort of kit through a DIY outlet risks unskilled people trying their hand and in reality risks taking the work away from people reliant on this sort


Graham Chadwick, marketing director for Chint Europe (UK), explains the importance of safety and responsibility and the role that the approvals process plays in achieving this


Above: a third party Approval Certificate from a major test house


Below: the range of global approvals held by Chint


of business to make a living. The moral of this story is quite


simply, be aware of your responsibili- ties. Peoples lives may rely on you so ensure the components that you use are fit for purpose and support those who deserve your support, not those trying to put you out of business.


Chint Europe (UK) www.chint.co.uk T: 0161 762 9333


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SEPTEMBER 2012 Electrical Engineering


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