BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.
Passing the test for 50 years
11 Sep 2009
Topics: Thatcham, KitemarkŪ, Healthcare, Canada, Doors, CE mark
When BSI's testing facilities set up shop on Maylands Avenue in Hemel Hempstead back in 1959, the KitemarkŪ was already half a century old. Today, the imposing four-storey building - renamed Kitemark House in 2006 - is the home of the Kitemark, where much of the testing for Kitemark certification takes place.
"When the site first opened, its main focus was testing electrical products for Canadian Standards, headgear such as crash helmets and seatbelts where Kitemark was a compulsory requirement," says Carolyn Conway, customer information executive of BSI. "Since then, we have changed as legislation, the customer and the need for testing has changed. We have moved with the times, in keeping with the different regulations that have come through over the years - we are constantly adapting."
Fifty years ago, there were 25 employees on site - somewhat different to today's workforce of 270.
By virtue of its testing facilities at Hemel Hempstead, BSI is a notified body for 17 EU directives as well as doing Kitemark certification and on-site testing. Its services cover the legal requirements for the CE mark as well as Kitemark certification as a quality mark.
"We simulate what a product will go through during its lifecycle," says Conway. "For example, we test doors, from inserting and turning the key to opening and closing the door over and over again. We have to ask ourselves what these products will go through: what does a crash helmet go through if a person wearing one comes off their motorcycle at high speed? We can simulate it and take it to the limit.
"You have to test things to extremes sometimes," she adds. "For example, we have an environmental chamber where temperatures can range from -30°C to 70°C and 98 per cent humidity. This can be useful for testing products that might be subject to variable environmental effects, such as electrical equipment that is used outside. You want to be sure that this equipment will work even under fairly extreme weather circumstances."
Kitemark continues to evolve with the markets it serves but its integrity and pedigree mean that it delivers the same quality, reassurance and trust as it did over 100 years ago. Since it moved into quality and safety issues in the service sector in 2005, Kitemark certification can now be found on garage servicing and car accident repair, window installation and domestic removals.
"The Kitemark is a quality mark," says Conway. "In addition to doing our own testing, we also do witness testing on-site for clients. We have to make sure that products that carry the Kitemark are being produced to the right standard and that they do what they need to do and are fit for purpose."
Business Standards © 2009. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
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Question: what is the value of a "non-
standard" standard, such as a PAS?
The PAS, or Publicly Available Specification, forms part of our spectrum of standards information ranging from full international consensus to bespoke individual company advice.
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