Question:
"
I've been going back and forth with a colleague regarding CRI certifications on floor maintenance equipment. His interpretation is that the only equipment that can be used , for an example, in a LEED Certified building, are those certified by the CRI.
Having an extensive background in commercial flooring contracting, I think any equipment that meets or exceeds the specifications can be used. I don't understand how a manufacturer of such products that meet/exceed the specs can be held hostage by the CRI and forced to spend large amounts of money for the certification.
Can you help me understand the intent and/or application of these policies?
"
Steve’s Answer:
The use of specific certifications in LEED is a means to make it easy to determine if the equipment meets the requirements and intent of the program. We realized a long time ago that while those of us in the cleaning industry are willing to spend untold hours reviewing technical data sheets, comparing formulas and doing other product research, typically building owners and facility managers were NOT willing to spend as much of their personal resources (i.e. time) on cleaning since they had so many other pressing issues to deal with. And that the reviewers of LEED applications were not technical experts and could not be expected to make these decisions.
With having said all of the above, I think it is important for you to understand that you are right and actually there is plenty of precedent for a manufacturer to simply show that their product meets the standards without actually getting certified. The manufacturer just needs to have all the test data that demonstrates that their product has been independently tested and that the tests line up with the requirements of the certification.
The challenge for many manufacturers is that they like using the concept “trust me” --- where other than their personal assurances they have no data or limited test data. The “trick” for manufacturers who choose NOT to get certified is to make it easy for the reviewers by making sure that all of their test data lines up perfectly with the requirements in the certification. For example if the certification has 8 attributes each with a specific test method outlined for each, the manufacturer should provide his data for the 8 attributes using exactly the same test methods.
I suspect this is more info then you probably wanted, but in summary let me say that as long as the manufacturer can document through independent testing that their product meets the requirements of the certifications, then most (if not all) of those requiring certification would accept the product.
I hope this helps,
Steve
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