The Ministry of Environment and Standards Undersecretary Dr Mohammed Saif Al Kuwari and other senior officials visiting the new labs at the Ministry headquarters yesterday. Kammutty VP
BY MOHAMMAD SHOEB
DOHA: The Ministry of Environment yesterday formally opened three laboratories for testing Children’s toys and household electrical heating appliances. It is expected that the initiative will help reduce the number of fire incidence occurring due to faulty and substandard electrical products, Dr Mohammed Saif Al Kuwari, Undersecretary at Ministry of Environment told The Peninsula.
The three laboratories namely Electric Laboratory for Testing Equipment, Heating Appliances and Chemical Unit for Toy Testing will be used to test the quality and safety standards of household appliances such as electric ovens, electric irons, grills, toasters, water heaters, kettles, hair driers and deep fry pans.
“These new state-of-the-art laboratories will check radiation levels, chemical properties of products, and also the quality of electrical appliances. This will help reduce the incidents caused due to faulty electrical appliances. Electrical appliances and toys not complying with international safety standards will not be allowed to be sold in the market”, said Dr Al Kuwari.
Asked if these labs will also be testing large appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and others, he said: “As of now large appliances and lamps, plugs, sockets, wires and cables will not be tested, but we are already in the process of extending the tests to such products in near future (hopefully in a year or so).”
These laboratories also intend to issue certificates to products that comply with international safety standards. Currently, electrical appliances, toys and other items are allowed to be imported on the basis of ISO 17025 certifications issued by the country of origin or certificates issued by accredited laboratories which are ISO 17025 certified.
“Very shortly we will start conducting tests on the said items being sold in the country and issue certificates to the products that comply with the safety norms set by our labs”, he added.
The Laboratories and Standardisation Affairs at the MoE was striving since 2008 to set up new electrical labs for testing household electrical heating appliances. Now these labs will ensure the safety and quality requirements according to IEC and national standards which facilitates the consumer to choose the appliances which comply with the standards and discard the others.
The Laboratory comply with IEC 60335-1 and its particular for the tests and is equipped with the latest test equipments from USA, UK, Germany and Japan.
“The Electrical Laboratory enables us to cover the tests such as protection against access to live parts, power input, current heating, leakage current and electric strength, mechanical strength, drop test for irons, supply connection and external flexible cords provision for earthing, clearance and creepage distance and resistance to heat and fire. Products bearing the above test therefore guarantee a high level of quality”, said Eng Haifa Al Zubaidi, Head of the Electric Lab.
The chewing, licking and swallowing behaviour of children is a common source of toxic metals exposure, which can affect mental functions, energy, nervous system, kidneys, lungs and other organ functions to decline. So it is for the manufacturers to market safe toys, but it is very rarely taken care of by the manufacturers.
The Peninsula
