PRODUCT TESTING
Many of these products are manufactured in multiple locations, so the FPC stage may mean visiting three or four factories for one product. This work is done initially alongside the testing and certification. We then carry out an annual surveillance subsequently post-certification – so, assuming there are no problems initially, the factories would then be visited annually to ensure that the specification remains the same. Typically we might spend a day at each factory location, and then, once the product is certificated, the scheme’s Terms and Conditions stipulate that if the manufacturer makes any changes to a certificated product, they must inform us. We then make a judgement as to whether that would impact the performance in testing. If so, then we may need to conduct additional testing to ensure that the product can maintain certification.”
How much will testing cost? I asked here whether there will be any form of standard pricing for testing. Laura Critien said: “There’s a fee sheet, but the cost will depend on the product. For example, you might have a product with numerous variations, which may require more in-depth testing, certification, and FPC.” Gary Timmins said: “For example, products that we have looked at recently include items such as sanitaryware, where there may be different options for, for example, activators for water flow etc. – whether pneumatically- switch-, or pull- handle controlled. We wouldn’t necessarily have to fully validate every one of these permutations as a separate new product.” Gary Timmins added, however, that the BRE can arrive at an indicative fee for a potential customer ‘pretty quickly’. He said: “The key is to fully understand pretty quickly at the outset what they are asking us to test.”
Listing on the BRE website I next asked how many companies had gone through the type of ‘soft testing’ ‘R&D day’ that Polar NE had experienced in January this year. Sean Taylor said: “We’ve had a few, and Polar was one of the first. We have also begun a number of commercial tests, and have some certification projects under way.” Once products have been certified, Laura Critien explained, full details, and the results of the testing and gradings awarded, will appear on a specific section, ‘Products for mental health safeguarding’ on the BRE website (
https://bregroup.com/ services/testing-certification-verification/ products-for-mental-health-safeguarding- promhs/), enabling specifiers to make a judgment between ostensibly similar products based on their performance under test conditions. I wondered how much interest the BRE was now seeing from manufacturers keen to get their products tested and certified. Laura Critien replied: “Quite a lot; it’s definitely ramping up now.”
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A sample Certificate of Product Performance of the type that will be awarded under the Products for Mental Health Safeguarding certification scheme.
The scheme’s development Looking back at the development of the standard and guidance, Gary Timmins said: “BRE developed the standard in collaboration with the Design in Mental Health Network, and Sean and I first got involved about two years ago. It was initially developed by Richard Hardy – who was formerly MD of BRE Global, BRE’s certification arm, and is now an associate consultant, in collaboration with Philip Ross at the DiMHN and various steering groups. Philip Ross was instrumental, and led the involvement of the Working Groups etc. Richard Hardy wrote the guidance, but took advice from the workshops and the steering groups that the DiMHN convened on our behalf; the process took a number of years to complete. Conveniently, when the testing and certification scheme was ready for commercialisation, my job role changed,” Gary Timmins continued, “and I took over the larger group of laboratories, and the scheme fitted it into the portfolio.”
Physical testing protocols Sean Taylor explained that when undertaking the physical testing, he is usually supported by at least one colleague, often a senior technician. He added: “Suppliers will generally be present for the ‘R&D days’, and when we are doing the formalised testing we certainly expect them to be there at installation stage, because once the sample is in the rig and ready to test, they need to be happy that the installation has been undertaken as per their instructions. They will often commission the sample to the rig for us, but afterwards it is entirely up to them whether they stay.” Gary Timmins explained: “Whatever tests are undertaken – whether it be
the effect on the product of a test on ligature resistance with a boot lace, or impact resistance – it is all photographed and recorded. Most of it then finds its way into the test report to help Laura’s team understand the nature and the cause of any failure. However, feedback and information are also vital for the customer, so they can understand what’s happened. Equally, just because we find a potential ligature point, doesn’t mean it’s not a good product; it just means it’s got some susceptibility to that type of attack. That is the purpose of the guidance – to give people the choice on which products they’re going to install into a specific environment to feed into their risk assessments, to in turn ensure that they’re creating safe environments for the people they look after.”
Providing the information to make an informed decision Laura Critien added: “It’s all about giving the specifier the information they need to make an informed decision and product choice. There are no ‘pass / fail’ criteria. Just because a product has achieved a certain rating on something, doesn’t mean it’s a ‘bad’ product; it may simply not be suitable for certain areas.” Laura Critien explained that from the start of testing to formal certification can take up to three months, the most time-consuming element usually being the FPC process. She added: “The time it takes will also depend on the flow of information between the parties. It is essential that we have all the necessary information from the client; for example we need their installation manuals to review. Once we have all the data to hand and can get the FPC done, it is a fairly straightforward process.”
n MAY 2023 | THE NETWORK
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