The latest case of poor quality steel shows why importers and construction companies need to do due diligence on their products, according to International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ).
IANZ is New Zealand’s national authority for the accreditation of laboratories, inspection bodies and radiology practices.
It accredits inspection bodies for engineering safety, food safety, and fire protection activities, as well as Building Consent Authority accreditation.
IANZ chief executive Dr Llew Richards says if you are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on imported steel, it’s a good idea to do some due diligence to make sure the test certificates actually mean something, rather than assuming everything is perfectly okay.
He says for a nominal fee of $199, IANZ offers a service whereby it can use its network of accreditation bodies around the world to check that test reports from the originating countries have actually been done by an accredited laboratory.
Dr Richards’ comments come after reports in the media that 500 tonnes of steel from China have been found to be too weak to be used for their original purpose. The test certificates that accompanied the steel turned out to be wrong.
“We have seen a range of recent cases where test certificates have been faked, and some instances of good products being sent for testing but then poorer quality products delivered by the manufacturer.
“That’s why it’s important to do your due diligence, and IANZ can certainly help New Zealand businesses with that,” Dr Richards says.
