Be Specific When Ordering Safety Products ILAMA Urges

April 16, 2015 - PRLog -- ILAMA (the International Life Saving Appliance Manufacturer’s Association). is warning that not enough purchasers are aware that products listed in the IMPA catalogue are intended as generic examples of what the customer wants and are not necessarily the same as what might be delivered. This practice is followed as an aid to efficiency and works well in most cases as it enables an order to be completed when there may be little difference between the item listed and the product that is actually available. Buyers might not be too worried if a different brand of recognised good quality is delivered instead of the one they ordered but when safety critical components are involved the system can create opportunities for a possibly unapproved product to be substituted.

         According to Kay Haffenden, managing executive of ILAMA, when buyers are ordering items of safety equipment they should ensure that the supplier knows that they require a specific product from a designated manufacturer. Failure to do so can result in an unwanted item being substituted in good faith.

         “ILAMA is receiving increasingly frequent reports of inferior or incorrect items of safety equipment being delivered to buyers,” she said. “In the best cases costly and time consuming delays can result from unwanted purchases being returned to the supplier. In the worst cases lives may be put at risk when key components that fail to meet the purchaser’s necessary performance standards are supplied and fitted. To the casual observer they may appear comparable to the product intended but in practice they may fail to function in the way the purchaser expects, if at all, and this can have serious consequences when crew or passenger safety is at stake.”

         Typical targets for unsafe product substitution are hydrostatic release units which are used extensively in liferafts, lifeboats and voyage data recorders. Although the buyer might have specified the exact item from the approved manufacturer when ordering electronically, unless they make their supplier aware of their specific requirements the IMPA system’s substitution policy can enable an alternative product to be delivered instead. This may be done with the best of intentions but it can mean that the item will not have the approvals and certification the purchaser requires for its life saving equipment.

         “It is vital, therefore, that when buyers, purchasing managers and ships’ staff are placing an order they ensure that they use the correct IMPA reference code for the product they require and that they also make their specific requirements clear to their supplier,” said Kay Haffenden. “It then follows that when the order is delivered they should double check that they have received exactly what they asked for.”

         The ILAMA organization represents the interests of its members who are all manufacturers of safety equipment used in the international maritime and offshore oil and gas industries.  ILAMA members design, manufacture, inspect, repair, service and test a wide variety of certified life-saving equipment while meeting the appropriate national and international standards.  The continuous development of products that enhance safety at sea also relies on ILAMA members maintaining contact with regulatory bodies to ensure that any proposals and requirements are practical and relevant to the industry. The association therefore monitors standards applicable to members’ activities and provides a forum for discussion of safety issues raised by them. By sharing members’ views, experiences and technical papers, ILAMA ensures that regulatory bodies and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are aware of their collective concerns and can be lobbied for action by appropriate authorities.

-ENDS

Enquiries to; Kay Haffenden

International Life-saving Appliance Manufacturers' Association (ILAMA)
PO Box 952

Shoreham

West Sussex

BN43 9EJ England

Telephone : +44 (0)1273 454187 Fax : +44 (0)1273 454260
Email : admin@ilama.org