Plumbing Africa April 2021 | Page 37

TECHNICAL 35

A matter of fact regarding compliance

By
Rory Macnamara
It is a legal requirement that all plumbing products must comply with the national standards known as South African National Standards ( SANS ).
Equally , every manufacturer / supplier / local or import of such products must be able to show that their products comply with the requirements .
Up until some years ago , notwithstanding the test houses that have always been around , including the SABS , it was the most common practice for the SABS to certify the product , which included factory visits for audit purposes . Consumers associated the SABS approved mark with compliance .
That is until the SABS had a major ‘ wobbly ’ and manufacturers / suppliers were subject to their certificates expiring and left out in the cold without certificates . Not sure that the seriousness of this wobbly warranted the drop in sales for many companies , and in some cases , even company closures . The effects of these delays and frustrations with the process is still being felt to this day , as one manufacturer noted :
“ As you are aware , we have had constant problems with the under performance of the SABS , and to be honest it is still a shambles , and there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel .
The SA Watermark was to be an alternative mark scheme based on the same principles that the SABS used to apply , which would allow for quality control in our industry .
The problem we have with this , is that the industry assumed incorrectly that the SABS mark was mandatory as well as a legal requirement , and as such , is still requested from some retailers , developers and architects .
An article clarifying that alternatives to the SABS mark are available , and that these alternatives ensure the products conform to the highest standards would go a long way in helping our industry understand mark schemes .
The SABS mark is , however , still specified by Government departments , and although not a legal requirement , would be difficult to change .”
The SABS wobbly created an opening for test centres and certification companies to open up and pick up the ‘ huge pothole / sinkhole ’ created by this situation .
Alternative mark schemes are not unusual around the world as they all work to the national standards of the country .
The role of SA Watermark : 1 . It is a register of plumbing components that comply with the relevant national SANS standard for that product .
2 . Such products have been verified to confirm that evidence is available and to confirm that the products complies to the requirements of the relevant standard .
3 . The registered manufacturers / suppliers / agents of listed products have committed legally to ensure that listed products maintain their compliant standing . 4 . Listing on the register is voluntary . 5 . The scheme is run by a registered non-profit company called the South African Independent Auditing Services ( SA-IAS ).
How does the scheme assist consumers , architects , engineers and plumbers in private and public service ?
The Watermark applies a rigorous set of checks and balances to verify test reports and certification schemes .
Being independent it can focus on the verification process and offers another secure element in the verification process .
The Watermark supports the National Standard and does not replace it or in any way detract from the requirements of the SANS standard .
In other words , the scheme is an alternative mark scheme , not a competitive scheme which needs to be welcomed considering the comments of manufacturers who have joined the scheme .
Current SA Watermark holders are :
• Eco Tanks
• Electrolux
• Gap Geysers
• Halograph
• Hansgrohe
• Harscan
• Heat Tech
• Maksal
In the next issue of Plumbing Africa , we will look at the different ratings offered by the SA Watermark scheme . PA
April 2021 Volume 27 I Number 2 www . plumbingafrica . co . za