How to Get a Product Tested for Safety: A Pre-BOFU Guide to Certification Testing
Key Takeaways
- Get the documentation right before testing starts
- Make sure the samples reflect the real product
- Label everything clearly so the right version gets tested
- Go in knowing that testing may lead to a pass, fail, or retest
When figuring out how to get a product tested for safety, approach it like a checklist. You’ll need the right documents, properly prepared samples, clear labelling, realistic timelines, and a basic understanding of what happens if your product passes or fails, and retest scenarios.
Here we will discuss each of these points so you can understand what goes into product safety testing.
1. Confirm What Documentation the Lab Needs
You’ll need to include the product’s specifications, drawings, materials details, intended use, and any prior test data. Clear documentation helps the lab provide more accurate results for the product certification process.
2. Prepare Samples Correctly
Another aspect of how to get a product tested for safety involves providing samples that reflect the actual product being evaluated. Poor sample preparations typically slow down projects and produce results that don’t accurately represent how the finished product is expected to perform.
Therefore, provide the right size, quantity, condition, and construction of the test sample.
3. Check Labelling and Submission Details
The purpose of labelling in this certification testing checklist is to match each specimen to the correct construction, variation, and test request.
By labelling, you avoid small differences in materials or assembly that can affect the results. To get a product tested for safety, how clear your submissions are makes the evaluation more reliable.
4. Understand Testing Timelines
Product compliance testing can be affected by timelines based on factors like the complexity of the test method and sample readiness.
When the timelines aren’t taken into account, it can lead to rushed results of the product’s safety testing, resulting in poor product quality, not to mention other missed deadlines that might result from these missed timelines.
5. Be Ready For Any Scenario
Even if you know how to get a product test for safety, you should still keep in mind:
You can pass, fail, or need a retest. Certification does not always end with the first round of results.
In some cases, the product may need changes to its materials or construction before it’s tested again. What you want to avoid is to avoid turning it into a battle of certification vs. testing.
To do this, you must approach the process with the right information and documentation while also making sure to address all issues fully, no shortcuts.
Work With Us
If you’re still confused about how to get a product tested for safety but still want to prepare for certification testing properly from the start, VTEC Laboratories can help you with that.
We’ve worked with several clients from various industries, helping them move through product safety testing with accurate and reliable custom testing support. We can do the same for you. Contact us today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if my product does not match a standard test exactly?
In some cases, the lab may be able to work around that through a custom testing setup that still reflects how the product is meant to perform.
Do I need to know the exact standard before contacting a lab?
Not always, especially when you don’t fully know how to get a product tested for safety. It helps to have an idea, but many companies reach out before they know the exact test they need. That is part of the early discussion.
Can one product need more than one safety test?
Yes. That can happen when a product has different materials, more than one function, or will be used in different conditions. One test does not always cover everything.
