Accra, April 1, GNA – The Ghana Standards Authority and the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FORIG) are to begin testing and certification of all imported and locally manufactured furniture products before they are sold on the Ghanaian market.
Speaking at a workshop for stakeholders in the wood and furniture industry, the Director-General of the GSA, Prof Alex Dodoo, said the move had become necessary because of the negative health implications of poorly manufactured furniture products.
Many, the Director-General noted take the safety or quality of furniture they use for granted, contending that many people, from medical doctors, administrators, politicians and journalists, especially, have work-related injuries caused by furniture that they are unaware of.
“If your furniture is not good, you are every day practising to have bone problems, back problems, spinal problems and a lot more and yet we have all taken it for granted that the furniture we use whether locally manufactured or imported is safe,” he said.
The workshop was organized jointly by the two agencies on the Testing and Certification of Wood and Furniture products in the country
He said Ghana had the most modern internationally accredited wood and furniture testing centre in Africa, adding that the centre was ready to offer services for furniture testing.
According to Prof Dodoo, the quality of furniture is one of the most important things to be cherished since everyone uses it.
The Ghana Standards Authority is the National Statutory Body responsible for the management of the nation’s quality infrastructure.
He said the Inspectorate division of the GSA was mandated to ensure that all imported furniture met national standards, adding the GSA would also ensure that all locally manufactured furniture was certified to a standard.
Director of CSIR-FORIG, Prof Daniel Ofori said the role of CSIR-FORIG was to undertake demand-driven research, build capacity and promote the application of technologies for sustainable management of forest resources for the benefit of society.
He said to achieve its vision, CSIR-FORIG undertakes six research programmes, which include the wood industry and utilization.
The programme, he noted, sought to develop technologies for efficient processing and utilization of wood and non-wood forest products as a means of reducing waste as well as wood exploitation.
With experts in Wood Science/Wood technologies, the programme has the expertise and experience in testing wood and wood products.
Currently, the Centre tests plastic and wood chairs and tables for their durability, stability and strength. These tests determine the lifespan of the products and their ability to perform the functions for which they are designed.
He said these tests conducted on chairs and tables ensured that health and safety, durability and strength requirements were met for customer satisfaction.
GNA