Cable compliance: Why Eland Cables established a UKAS-accredited cable testing laboratory
Cable compliance is sadly not something to be taken for granted - it’s on the radar thanks to a combination of new legislation and reported incidents of sub-standard cables finding their way into the marketplace. The upcoming Construction Products Regulations (CPR) will, when it comes into full force in July of this year, require manufacturers, suppliers and contractors alike to be more focused on ensuring their products meet the prescribed levels for quality and standards.
At Eland Cables, we believe it is our responsibility as cable experts to take a lead in offering an extra level of due diligence; being able to confirm to customers that the products supplied by us are compliant with standards and legislation. As CPR compliance becomes requisite, just like other European Directives such as REACH and RoHS, our customers need to not just rely on compliance but prove it too.
The Cable Lab®, our in-house cable testing facility, was established with the intention of being able to provide impartial quality assessment; achieving UKAS accreditation to ISO 17025 guarantees that the testing results and reporting we provide are accurate and without bias. It’s a unique achievement for a UK cable supplier and the investment in a state-of-the-art testing laboratory has been substantial, yet the result is both a facility and a team of technical experts who can categorically prove cable compliance. There’s no need to take it on trust – our testing capabilities are bound within the strict parameters and guidelines set out by UKAS and undertaken by a team of cable experts including those who sit on national and international standards advisory bodies.
In addition to providing quality assurance on our own stockholding, our services include third-party testing on cables purchased from other sources for those seeking an independent assessment from The Cable Lab® on the quality and compliance of their product. We work closely with BSI and have been awarded the BSI RoHS Trusted KitemarkTM in recognition of our work to deliver RoHS compliance; our technical experts also collaborate with international bodies such as Ireland’s national standards agency NSAI. It all underlines our stance that compliance is non-negotiable.
Ivan Cleere, Head of QA & Technical at The Cable Lab says;
“With strict quality controls and product testing there’s no reason for non-compliant cables to reach the marketplace, yet too many times we hear news of such happenings. Having achieved the ISO 17025 UKAS accreditation for our cable testing facility it sets us apart in the eyes of quality-conscious organisations both in the UK and worldwide, but it also helps raise the standard across the board.”
The cable industry in Europe, with the harmonization of products, is subject to increasing regulation with the penalties for breaching the rules significant. There are, of course, also strict standards and regulations for the North American, Australasian and other international markets. To be able to install cables with the confidence that impartial compliance testing gives, allows customers the peace of mind that they are doing their best for their cable projects.
For more information on The Cable Lab and its testing capabilities visit www.elandcables.com/the-cable-lab
