Importance of product certification in the plumbing industry
By Kevin Ebersok - SATAS
TECHNICAL
Apart from the codes of practice relating to the application of building regulations defined in the SANS 10400 , further requirements impact the supply and installation of plumbing components in the building industry .
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With the scarcity of potable water , especially in Africa , enormous efforts are being made to limit the wastage of water through unnecessary leaks that in most cases can be attributed to substandard components or poor installations .
Extensive efforts are being made to ensure compliance of components and installations by defining very specific requirements in the SANS 10252-1 Water supply and drainage for buildings Part 1 : Water supply installations for buildings and the SANS 10252-2 : Water supply and drainage for buildings Part 2 : Drainage installations for buildings specifications . These standards clearly define the specific SANS specification relating to all components , materials and installations the plumber needs to comply with .
These increasing requirements placed on the plumber by end users and further compliance to local by-laws can be made a lot easier by supplying Product Certified components and installations . Product certification allows for the end user to be confident that components are supplied that consistently achieve the requirements defined in the relevant SANS standard . In most instances , end users accept components based on a current , valid , and appropriate Product Certificate without any further testing or acceptance . It is critical that the Product Certification Body performing the assessments at the manufacturing facility , testing of the product to the SANS standard and the certification thereof be accredited by SANAS to the requirements of SANS 17065 Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products , processes , and services .
Currently , there are three Certification Bodies providing such services in Southern Africa that are SANAS Accredited to most of the SANS specifications defined in SANS 10252 .
These Bodies include SATAS , SABS , SAPCS and AENOR with their accreditation status and accredited specifications made available for verification on the SANAS website .
It is clearly seen that the importance of verifying the accreditation status of both the Certification Body and the relevant certified manufacturer is so important and necessary .
End users make use of various avenues to “ accept ” plumbing components provided by the supplier which are briefly described below :
1 . Product Certification : This option is the preferred method for a supplier to demonstrate compliance to specification and instil confidence in the end user that a compliant product is being received . The process entails an accredited Certification Body conducting an initial assessment of the manufacturer ’ s quality management system that needs to include additional requirements defined in Certification Conditions .
Full specification product testing is performed at a SANAS accredited test facility to ensure unbiased results are obtained to ensure the product achieves the requirements of the specification . Following a successful assessment and product testing regime , certification is granted to the manufacturer that is valid for a period of 3 years .
Most importantly , during the 3-year certification cycle , annual surveillance audits are conducted at the manufacturer with random and representative samples selected for product testing . The frequency of sampling and testing enforced by the Certification Body is generally 3 times per annum , of which , 2 of the sampling activities are unannounced .
Plumbers should take the time to investigate making use of Certified Product , especially with the unfortunate practices of importing components from manufacturers based in China . These components at most times do not meet the requirements of the SANS standard .
2 . Consignment inspection : These options are available to suppliers where components are “ certified ” based on a batch inspection performed by an authority . In the case of a consignment inspection , a specific batch of components is submitted for inspection and testing with the results thereof reported in the form of a test report and / or certificate . The test report / certificate does however indicate that only the specific batch of components tested comply with the relevant requirements and does not infer that any further batches supplied comply . It is critical that the test report / certificate states that the test report / certificate is only valid for that specific batch tested .
3 . Joint acceptance schemes : A joint acceptance scheme is operated by Metropolitan representatives forming a committee that requires a compliant test report for a specific component be submitted by the manufacturer . Based on the results the product is included in an approved suppliers list that is made available to all Metros . The validity of the test report is that of 2 years after which time the manufacturer needs to re-submit a compliant test report to maintain their status as an approved supplier . Unfortunately , this option does not make provisions for regular surveillance , sampling and testing at the manufacturer during the 2-year validity period .
As seen above , end users tend to be more confident when components are supplied by Product Certified manufacturers that are continually being audited by fully accredited Certification Bodies . Efforts are being made to include all SANAS Accredited Certification Bodies to include their Product Certified manufacturers on the joint acceptance suppliers list to assist the end user in ensuring those components supplied are audited , sampled and tested on a frequent basis . PA
March 2023 Volume 29 I Number 1 www . plumbingafrica . co . za