• • • SURGE & CIRCUIT PROTECTION • • •
TAKING A STAND AGAINST UNTESTED PRODUCTS
T
he commercial director for a Midlands supply firm is making it his mission to drive up standards. Niglon’s Paul Dawson is taking the
electrical industry to task for its approach to certification after seeing a rise in the number of untested products on the market. He is calling on suppliers, wholesalers and contractors to help ensure safety for end users by only buying products which have been thoroughly independently tested.
And he also wants to see it becoming standard protocol to ask for proof of certification when buying a new product. But he needs the help of other companies across the industry in order to implement these changes. Paul explains: “There can be a whole range of
consequences if an electrical item fails – and the worst of these sees damage to properties and injury or even death. Even at its most minor, a product failure means inconvenience and cost for the end user. That’s why at Niglon we are so passionate about advocating for independent testing, because those consequences are not something anyone in the industry should be willing to risk. “We have a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of electrical item failure in the form of the Grenfell disaster – it’s been nearly four years now and we know that the original source was a faulty product (albeit the situation was exacerbated by other factors), so the industry really should have acted already to ensure something like this never happens again.
“But instead, we are seeing a rise in the number of products on the market which haven’t been tested – something we simply don’t believe should be allowed to continue. As well as comprehensive testing by an independent third-party for all surge and circuit protection devices, it should be routine for proof of certification to be requested by suppliers, wholesalers and contractors whenever
they are sourcing a new item.”
The Niglon team also wants to raise awareness among individuals and businesses about the safety of products within their homes, workplaces and other buildings they spend time in. They believe by discussing certification more openly, it will enable the general public to hold the electrical industry to account over the issue of testing.
The company is committed to practising what it preaches, recently opting to source new surge protection devices from a European manufacturer rather than a cheaper option, simply because they knew the European company were able to prove their products were certified. Paul adds: “Certification is especially important for surge protection devices because of the limited ability for contractors to be able to test them once they are installed in a home or workplace, so partnering with a firm which tested its products was the only viable option in our eyes. “As well as clearly marking which organisation has accredited each of our circuit protection devices in our catalogue and online, we produce proof of certification whenever asked by a customer – and we are also talking as often and as widely as we can about the issue in order to spread the message to other suppliers, as well as wholesalers and contractors. “Ideally, we’d like to see everyone putting aside any competition there is for sales between companies – because this issue is much more important than that – to come together and jointly raise the standards in the industry. “It’s not just about the potential damage to properties where untested devices are installed, there is also a very real threat to life, so it’s
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
incredibly important that we all act immediately because we don’t know which products will fail and when. Let’s not wait until something goes wrong, let’s implement proper testing and more transparency for everyone.
“Individuals and businesses rely on contractors
to install electrical devices in their properties and, in doing so, they are placing a great deal of trust in them that these products are safe. By being able to assure customers that all of their devices have been thoroughly tested, this generates increased trust (and a better reputation) for the contractors. “The benefits to the industry and the end user are plain to see. That’s why we are calling on the industry to act now: help us educate end users about testing; help us ensure asking for proof of certification becomes a routine question when sourcing a product; and help us stop harm coming to anyone because of a faulty device.”
NIGLON |
niglon.co.uk ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MAY 2021 11
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