01.04.07
BASEC approval makes the right choice simpler
With rail safety under the spotlight once again there has never been a more important time to make sure that products you choose for your next project are fit-for-purpose and meet required standards.
That’s the message from Dr Jeremy Hodge, chief executive of BASEC - the British Approvals Service for Cables - and he believes there are some key issues and considerations for those specifying cables for rail projects. Railways require vast amounts of cabling in order to operate and for every mile of track there are many miles of cable, and most have safety critical functions.
By specifying cables tested and approved by BASEC, and not compromising on quality, specifiers and contractors can be assured that the cable they install is fit for its intended purpose, is safe to use and has long term reliability.
Dr Hodge says: “It is surprisingly easy for an unscrupulous manufacturer to make a ‘look-alike’ cable, marked with an international standard number. However, this does not guarantee that any independent checks have been made to verify this claim.
“Only the presence of a product approval mark, such as BASEC, gives you the assurance that a reputable organisation has examined the cable and the manufacturing process in detail and continues to supervise its production –through regular factory visits to take random samples for testing.
“Manufacturing cables is a specialist process and BASEC’s view is that additional measures beyond the scope of plain quality management systems are needed to deliver consistently high quality cables. Similarly, a test report on a cable only provides a snapshot of performance.”
By detailed examination of manufacturers’ production processes and controls and rigorous testing, BASEC ensures that cable products actually meet appropriate national, European and international standards.
The BASEC schemes are designed to assess an organisation’s ability to produce goods and services consistently to specification and customer requirements, in a safe manner and with due regard to environmental needs.
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