New Incident Reporting / Complaint Procedure for BFPA’s Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme
24 Feb 2021
As part of continuous improvements to the BFPA’s Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme, BFPA has introduced a formal procedure for Scheme Members to report incidents which breach the BFPA Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme Quality Control Procedures as laid out in the BFPA D8 document.
BFPA’s Martin Kingsbury comments: As the BFPA’s Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme continues to grow in membership, it is inevitable that from time to time we will uncover occasional incidents of Scheme Members not operating in accordance with the Quality Control Procedures laid out in the Scheme’s BFPA D8 Guidance Document. To enable us to address any such issues we have devised (and trialled) a complaints procedure which has proven to be successful in alerting the BFPA of a company that is alleged to be in breach of the Scheme’s standards.”
He adds: “We have written to all our Scheme Members making them aware of these procedures and are confident that these new measures will reinforce the need to maintain the highest standards of quality, integrity and safety which have become the hallmarks of the BFPA Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme. I’m sure that with everyone’s continued support of the scheme D8 procedures, it will be on the rare occasion that it will be necessary to enact this procedure.”
New Incident Reporting Procedure
- Contact the BFPA and request an incident reporting form, this form will required to be completed with as much information as possible regarding the alleged incident.
- The BFPA will be obligated to make contact with the Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme member that is alleged to have breached the D8 standards for the purpose of establishing clarification on the reported alleged breach.
- The BFPA will (in the case of re-ending or using incompatible product) make contact with the company/customer who was alleged to have had their hose product reworked/repaired for the purpose of informing them of the dangers associated with having hose and fittings re-worked.
- If the alleged incident cannot be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction then evidence of the issue will be presented to the Hose Scheme Working Governance committee for resolution. If a company is found to be in serious breach of the scheme requirements then the company could be removed from the Approved Hose Assemblies Accreditation Scheme.
About the Scheme
The BFPA Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme is the fluid power industry’s leading accreditation scheme for hose manufacture, distribution, sale and fitting. The scheme is open only to members of the British Fluid Power Distributors Association (BFPDA) and the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA). Members may achieve accreditation only after a detailed inspection process. Companies must be able to demonstrate that they adhere to all current legislation in respect of the supply, storage and handling of hoses which can be hydraulic or pneumatic. After approval they are entitled to display the ‘Q-Approved’ logo on their premises and products. Scheme member companies also agree to a detailed technical audit by the BFPDA every two years.
CLICK HERE to download an overview of the BFPA Approved Hose Assemblies Scheme
If you should have any questions or concerns then please don’t contact Martin Kingsbury on martin@bfpa.co.uk