2.

Place of posting: Southern Regional Office, Chennai - CNBO (MCM)

3. Activity: Certification
4. Month and year of assignment: September, 2014
5. Subject of Assignment: Comments on the Raw Material requirement and
testing aspect of some PVC pipes and Polyethylene water storage tanks that
regularly come into contact with potable water supply.
6. Proposal:

Conducting independent testing of the raw material resin used for

manufacture of UPVC pipes and water storage tanks as per IS
4985:2000, IS 12701:1996, IS 15778:2007 etc. at a fixed interval:
i.

Existing Practice:

The chemical requirements for the raw material resins and the starting
compounds for various products like pipes, water storage tanks etc. are
tested only one time, during the GOL. Once the licence is granted, the
licensee does not have to test the raw material and can rely on the test
certificates from the suppliers to meet the requirements according to the
relevant IS/STI.
ii.

Deficiency in the Existing Practice:

During the surveillance visits and handling of the CED files, it has often
been noticed that in many cases the licensees submit test certificates that
are very old. Again in many cases, they purchase from bulk traders and so
test certificates overlap or become repetitive.
Since these products as per IS 4958:2000, IS 12701:1996, IS 15778:2007
come into direct contact with potable water, use of inappropriate raw
materials may often lead to various water borne diseases due to
contamination.
iii.

The Proposal:

The raw material resin and the starting compounds can be tested along with
the product at independent BIS approved labs at particular intervals of time
during operation of licence.

Once in every 2 years of satisfactory operation or when there is a change in

the source of the raw material or in case of failure of sample in a critical
chemical requirement (whichever comes earlier), a sample of raw material
may be drawn from the licensee and tested independently for assessing its
conformity to the relevant standards.
Also it must be made mandatory for the licensees to inform BIS every time
there is any change or addition in source of the raw materials.
iv.

Likely Benefits to the Stakeholders:

The implementation of this scheme should mean that the consumer shall
have more confidence in purchasing the ISI marked product. Even for BIS, it
makes product quality monitoring much more efficient. Also this process will
ensure that no unscrupulous activity on the part of the manufacturer can
compromise on the final product quality.
v.

Estimated timeframe and expenditure for implementation:

Not directly applicable for this proposal.

7. Conclusion and recommendations (impact on BIS services):

This exercise will help BIS achieve a more accurate control on the product
quality and help bridge the gap between the consumer society and BIS by
instilling trust.