The next time you are worried about whether it is safe to drink packaged water of a particular brand or if the newly purchased electronic iron box is durable, you could actually get it tested for quality.
The Bureau of Indian Standards, Southern Regional Office, has launched a facility for consumers to get samples of various products affixed with the ISI mark tested. From thermometers, electric home appliances including water heaters and toasters to iodised salt and milk powder, consumers can get any ISI-certified product tested.
Until now, BIS had been testing the samples either at the manufacturing point to provide licences or conducting surprise checks to detect any misuse of the ISI mark.
Several people and consumer activists welcomed the move. “I am glad that I can now get a home appliance tested. This will help choose branded products better. BIS should also guide us on further steps to get them replaced,” said S.Bhuvana, a resident of Ashok Nagar.
Officials of BIS said that there are over 19,000 standards for various products. Of these, BIS has made ISI certification mandatory for 90 products. Consumers may submit the products on working days and get them tested at the BIS office on CIT campus, Fourth Cross Road, Taramani.
They can contact 22541442/22542519 or mail sro@bis.org.in for any clarification.
The charges and time needed for the results will vary according to the products. For instance, the charges to test certain parameters of packaged drinking water or a pressure cooker would be around Rs. 2,000. If the sample is found to be faulty, the charges would be reimbursed, officials said.
R. Desikan of Consumer Association of India said BIS must charge reasonably and provide the results faster to encourage more consumers to use the facility.
