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Safety Equipment Institute |
What is SEI?
The Safety Equipment Institute headquartered in McLean, Virgina is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1981 to administer the first non-governmental, third-party certification programs to test and certify a broad range of safety equipment products. SEI's certification programs are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in accordance with the standard, ISO Guide 65, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems. As a result, SEI complies with 10 ISO Guides pertaining to product testing, inspection and certification.
What Does SEI Do?
The purpose of SEI's certification programs is to assist government agencies along with users and manufacturers of safety equipment in meeting their mutual goals of protecting those who use safety equipment on or off the job, in keeping with recognized standards and the current state of the art.
Who Can Participate in SEI Certification Programs?
SEI certification programs are voluntary and available to any manufacturer of safety and protective equipment seeking to have product models certified by SEI. Participation in SEI's programs is open to a non-discriminatory basis to all manufacturers.
What Are the SEI Certification Programs?
SEI certification programs include on-going product testing and quality assurance audits which qualify a product model for SEI certification.
SEI will certify the manufacturer's product model and grant the right to use the SEI certification label when (1) the testing lab has determined that the product model has been tested and successfully meets the appropriate product standard, and (2) the quality assurance auditor has determined that the manufacturer complies with SEI quality assurance requirements.
What Kind of Testing Standards Does SEI Use?
All product testing is done in accordance with the selected voluntary, government or other standards available for the given product. Current standards are promulgated for various products by such organizations as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), American Society for testing and Materials (ASTM) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
What Are the Benefits of SEI Certified Safety Products?
Both compliance testing and quality assurance audits are repeated at regular intervals to maintain certification. The manufacturer submits to ongoing scrutiny of products and processes by independent third-parties and agrees to recall non-conforming products.
Another important benefit of SEI certification is the additional
assurance granted to purchasers and users of these safety products. It
means products bearing the SEI label have been manufactured to meet the
level of quality and performance of the most current comprehensive
standards existing for the product. While SEI does not assume
responsibility for product performance, SEI's certification label
indicates that the manufacturer is concerned and responsible, and that
the model for that product has met the recognized standards for testing
and quality assurance.