Steel connector failures and forged certificates

CROSS Newsletter 22 contained a report on the failure of steel fixings holding a scaffold to a building due to incorrect material being used and another about allegedly forged certificates accompanying steel plates. This prompted a reporter to come forward with several other examples. It seems that some suppliers are receiving components that have been manufactured elsewhere and are accompanied by certificates that are potentially false or forged. Components in these cases, says the reporter, can be suspension connectors.

Most specifications used internally depend on quality assurance to demonstrate compliance with design requirements, says the reporter. This normally entails a level of non-destructive testing and possibly destructive testing to verify mechanical properties. Proprietary products such as fasteners, tie rods or couplings are normally accepted as manufactured items and compliance is satisfied by information supplied by the manufacturer stating compliance with national specifications with no verification required. Such reliance on quality assurance alone is now being questioned following failures over the last few years.

The UK has been slow in recognising this issue which has been partially addressed in America and Australia. Many products are manufactured largely outside the UK and traded worldwide. This makes product verification far more difficult and quality documentation is essential. The problem is that documentation is often accepted without proper review. The reporter goes on to say that America recognised this issue some time ago (1999) and introduced the Fastener Quality Act (FQA) making the supplier legally responsible. This has improved the internal market in America but one consequence may be that the products are diverted to other countries which have less onerous control.

Australia has adopted the stance that the designer or consultant is responsible for issuing a specification to avoid these problems. As this will be driven essentially by quality assurance it is not clear how effective it will be as a preventative method apart from identifying the responsible party. Clearly in Australia, the designer or consultant needs to consider the option to specify additional testing on delivered items.

The issue of incorrectly identified, misrepresented or counterfeit products is not solely related to fasteners or products in steelwork construction. In fact, it has been recognised in the aviation industry (aircraft spares traded on quality certificates), offshore construction (steel products traded on material certificates) and the onshore construction industry (steel products traded on material certificates).

This is a multi-billion pound/dollar market that can be exploited for profit. The result is a product which has properties that have not been substantiated, may have variable quality and may suffer premature failure. It should be noted that this is not just a local issue but has global implications given that these products are now manufactured in many countries and traded worldwide. Components which have been known to fail include bolts, connector parts, castings and steel plates.