Richard A. Huber, P. E 
BC Hydro 
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada 
Technical Services Committee Member 

Introduction 
The existence of counterfeit or substandard fas­teners came to prominence in the United States in 1987 when the death of a construction worker was attributed to a bolt that broke unexpectedly.

The bolt was found to be made from substandard material. As a result, the Fastener Quality Act was introduced in the U.S. in 1990. The intent of this act was to estab­lish regulations that would make it unlawful for a manufacturer or distributor to misrepresent the char­acteristics of a fastener. For each production lot of fasteners manufactured to conform to specific per­formance standards, samples must be tested by an accredited laboratory and the results documented in a record of conformance. This record must be made available by the manufacturer to distributors or individuals purchasing fasteners for use in commercial products. This requirement extends to im­ported fasteners. 

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Categories: Miscellaneous, Safety

Tags: Safety Counterfeit Fasteners

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