TECHNICAL
37
Certification provides assurance – and is more than a test report
By
Roshelle Pillay , SABS
The South African Bureau of Standards ( SABS ) conducts a range of tests against South African National Standards ( SANS ), as well as customer specific requirements and / or testing against compulsory specifications that may be issued for certain product categories .
The SABS offers certification schemes for both products and / or systems that comply with the SANS or a relevant Mark scheme / systems scheme , such as the Scheme for Food Safety Management Systems ( FSSC ). Additionally , many products undergo more frequent testing and conformity assessments to earn their status which allows them to use the ‘ SABS Approved ’ mark on their product .
The SABS ’ testing and certification services are offered independently , meaning that the SABS attains and maintains an accreditation status to offer the testing and certification services . In some cases , where the SABS uses third party laboratories – the laboratories need to meet stringent requirements and are subject to assessments and inspection by the SABS .
“ The SABS is aware that there are numerous manufacturers in possession of SABS test reports which they use as evidence that their products are ‘ SABS Approved ,’ and it is important for consumers to understand that ‘ SABS Approved ’ can only be claimed by a manufacturer if the products were actually certified by the SABS . The SABS laboratory test report is a report of the performance of that product against requirements of a standard or other client specific requirement , and this does not indicate that the product is ‘ SABS Approved ’ in any way . An SABS permit to apply the Certification Mark is a more comprehensive statement of quality assurance of the product or system ,” says Jodi Scholtz , Lead Administrator of the SABS .
Testing is just one of the requirements in the complete SABS certification process .
Beyond testing The testing of products and systems is essential to determine whether performance meets specified requirements of the standard , and this is done in controlled and simulated environments . Test reports provide information about a product at the time of testing and are limited to the very sample tested . Test
SAMPLE-Certificate
“ Testing is just one of the requirements in the complete SABS certification process .”
March 2022 Volume 28 I Number 1 www . plumbingafrica . co . za