Calibration is not an option - it's essential

Trends suggest that a surprisingly high number of instruments used in industry are no longer being properly calibrated and certificated; and this worries Martin Kulin.

Trends suggest that a surprisingly high number of instruments used in industry are no longer being properly calibrated and certificated.

Whatever the causes, the legal, financial and safety risks of such a policy represent a time bomb many businesses could struggle to survive.

"Ask most people if the kettle in the staff canteen is regularly given an electrical safety check and they'll say yes".

"But ask them how often the test equipment used to check the kettle is calibrated and it all gets a bit vague - yet it could have been used to approve hundreds of items of potentially dangerous equipment".

"That's how widespread the problem is".

Martin Kulin is a man on a mission.

With some 30 years of experience in the service and calibration sector, he believes that the growing trend of companies to take responsibility for their equipment away from technical staff and place it in the hands of purchasing and commercial managers is an accident waiting to happen.

Of course purchasing plays a key role in any business, but a broader awareness and understanding of these issues, together with the technical and/or safety repercussions is crucial to avoid costly mistakes.

Kulin owns Hitek, based in Horsham, Sussex, one of the UK's last remaining independent test and calibration companies.

While he acknowledges that improved production technology has played its part in the reduced need for calibration services he is firmly convinced that a general decline in technical awareness amongst equipment purchasers, and sometimes users, is already causing problems that could and should have been avoided.

At a basic level, ignorance can lead to inconvenience and additional expense.

He cites numerous examples where purchasing managers have specified equipment on price alone only to find they subsequently need to purchase additional calibration certification - which was perhaps already included in another, apparently less competitive, quote.

Perhaps more seriously, some organisations are buying equipment assuming it has already been calibrated by the manufacturer and then - certainly with lower cost items - relying on it being replaced before it needs to be recalibrated.

"This raises the question of whether the instrument in question was ever truly accurate and, if its working life is then extended, by how much will any inaccuracy have grown?" asks Kulin.

Units are of course built to a specification, but only a small number are actually checked before despatch.

But (in the words of Mandy Rice-Davies) someone in Kulin's position would say that, wouldn't he?.

If an instrument is not totally accurate, does it really matter?.

Kulin's answer is an emphatic "Yes" - a claim he is ready to support with many examples.

"We've already mentioned portable appliance testers".

"Our experience shows one in every 200 is inaccurate".

"This may not sound much, but each one of those could have passed 500 electrical appliances as safe on one day alone".

"Laboratory equipment such as oscilloscopes could pass faulty equipment that is then used or purchased by the company's customers".

The most serious case from Kulin's experience was an inaccurately reading crimping tool that had been used on electrical connections in the transport sector.

Faults arising from its use may have been contributory to several fatalities.

"Problems arising from not having regular calibration checks may only be inconvenient - such as an increase in customer complaints".

"But in the event of an accident it could also leave both the company and individual members of staff liable to prosecution by the HSE", warns Kulin.

"And in cases where calibration was an issue, insurance companies could well refuse to cover a company without all necessary calibration certificates in place".

Equally, on request there are insurance companies that will offer reduced premiums if clear evidence of regular calibration and safety tests is provided.

Clearly this can help offset calibration costs.

Kulin believes there are a number of simple measures that can be taken to avoid such dire consequences and the first of these lies within his own industry, the service and calibration sector.

"We need to do more to create an awareness amongst nontechnical staff of the risks involved".

"This can be achieved through opportunities to appear in the media, through our marketing communications strategies and through supporting our customers' technical staff in getting the message across".

The second step is for companies to conduct an audit of all equipment requiring calibration and to assess the interval between checks needed for each item.

"Some instruments can maintain accuracy for very long periods and require little adjustment, whereas others can become comprised very quickly".

"Gas analysers for example need frequent assessment due to their sensitivity to climatic conditions".

Indeed, a little known health and safety regulation is that wherever asphyxiant gases such as liquid nitrogen are in use it is mandatory to install oxygen depletion monitors.

The gas sensor in these requires recalibration every 6 months and replacement every 2 years - with the margin between life and death being only a few percentage points of oxygen content this is one area that really cannot be ignored.

Those in any doubt should seek advice either from the equipment suppliers, from specialists in service and calibration (such as Hitek), or from the standards organisation responsible for issuing the relevant compliance certification.

Having compiled this information a schedule for instrument calibration can then be incorporated into the normal management routine points out Kulin.

"The ongoing calibration schedule should become part of the ownership of an instrument", he adds.

The experience of his own organisation is that once customers get used to the idea of regular calibration checks they can extend the working life of some equipment that previously would have been replaced.

Not all the effort to improve calibration servicing needs to come from equipment users.

Companies such as Hitek have invested heavily in technology designed to provide a faster, easier-to-use service for their customers.

For example in the past, calibration test results were sent by post and took days to arrive.

Nowadays customers can access them at any time of the day (or night) simply by going on-line and entering the serial number of the item tested.

This will show the results and also enables the all-important calibration certificate to be printed out straight away.

In an industry first, Hitek also equipped all its engineers with laptops that use wireless enabled broadband connections to send the results through to its website before the engineers have even left the building.

Martin Kulin believes the future for testing lies with systems that will simplify matters even further.

His company is developing systems that will connect customers' equipment to its laboratory via the Internet to allow online testing without even waiting for an engineer's visit.

"There really is no excuse for companies not to ensure all their equipment has been properly serviced and calibrated".

"But with reducing staff numbers and less specialist technical awareness, more companies are taking increasing risks, both with health and safety and insurance liabilities - often without realising it".

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