Equal Safety

In addition to getting people out on the road there's one thing we take very seriously - Safety.

Our philosophy is that everyone should be able to travel safely in a vehicle regardless of adaptation needs. As a global leader, it is our responsibility to continuously strive for a higher level of safety within the vehicle adaptation industry. One way of achieving this is to offer high-quality products that are both safe and functional.

To guarantee our end-users’ safety, BraunAbility products are designed and tested according to relevant directives and standards. We also work together with users, organisations, the automotive industry and other interested parties to constantly push for increasingly stringent safety requirements.

BraunAbility Safety Centres

To remain in the front line among producers of safe and reliable vehicle adaptation products we have invested in multiple in-house test facilities. Here our products must pass various tests before being released onto the market. Dynamic crash tests, static pull tests, climate tests, vibration tests, and cycle tests are examples of tests that we perform at our BraunAbility Safety Centres.

For the tests we don’t perform in-house we team up with a number of accredited test houses for specific and general testing, these include:

• RISE (Sweden)
• TÜV (Germany)
• Millbrook Proving Ground (UK)

Where applicable our products are independently witnessed and reported on by approval authorities such as VCA, UTAC, RDW, TÜV depending on the test parameters and other local requirements which may vary from country to country.

Sweden laboratory - Static

In April 2009 the BraunAbility Safety Centre in Stenkullen was accredited by Sweden's national accreditation body, SWEDAC, according to ISO/IEC 17025. This was the first accredited pull test lab in our industry. This accreditation means that our lab in Stenkullen has the authority to serve as a test institute and issue certifying documentation within applicable parts.

Selection of Equipment Used:

• Pull test rig with six hydraulic cylinders
• Drop test rig with two accelerometers measuring G-force at impact
• H-Point Measuring Machine (dummy)
• Climate test facility with temperatures ranging from -30° to +80° Celsius
• Flexible test stations with pneumatic control systems for endurance testing

UK Laboratory – Dynamic and Static

In our tradition of being at the forefront of safety, we were also the first UK manufacturer of wheelchair safety systems to have our own dynamic laboratory for crash tests.

Through our close working relationships with approval authorities, we are able to offer both in-house dynamic testing for development work and witness testing for approval to European regulations.

Selection of Equipment Used:

• Deceleration Sled with a maximum payload of 800kg
• Robust drive system producing repeatable in-bound velocity accuracy
• High-speed camera with 1400 frames per second
• Advanced Data Acquisition Unit conforming to SAE J211
• Hybrid II and Hybrid III 50%ile dummies
• Pull test rig with nine hydraulic cylinders with closed-loop control

In our dynamic and static labs, we carry out tests on our own products to the requirements of ISO 10542 as well as ECE R14, ECE R17 and 2018/858/EU relating to our products. We can also perform dynamic tests in a vehicle environment for individual customer specifications. We have a dedicated engineering team who understand UK and European legislation and work closely with customers according to their needs.

Testing to ensure Quality and Safety 

As testing is a vital part of product development it is used frequently throughout the design phase to single out the best design or material. The below list will give you a basic understanding of how we perform the various tests and where the design process of the test is used. In short, what we mean when we say that one of our products is “test approved”.

Our tests are performed in accordance with the nearest applicable standard.

• Crash test

  The product undergoes acceleration to a specific speed before coming to a stop, simulating a vehicle crash. This type of testing is conducted to ensure the safety of the design and is a requirement for standards such as ECE R17, ISO 10542, ISO 7176, and ISO 16840.

• Pull test

  The product is subjected to a traction force for a specific period of time. Essentially, hydraulic cylinders pull on test points of the product itself and its floor and belt attachment points. Pull tests are a requirement for ECE R14 and, R16 however the test can also be used during the design phase to select a design or a material.

• Environmental test

  The product undergoes various operational testing for extreme environmental conditions. This can include operation at temperatures ranging from -20° to +60° Celsius to ensure its performance under these weather conditions. It can also include exposure to UV light and corrosive elements, amongst others, to ensure the performance will meet the requirements throughout the life of the product.

• Life cycle test

  The product is loaded to its maximum capacity plus an additional twenty percent. The purpose is to simulate everyday use as closely as possible: in other words, to perform a complete life cycle.

• EMC test

  The product’s electronics are tested to ensure that it does not cause interference nor is affected by interference from any other electronics in the vehicle. This is normally referred to as ECE R10.

• Vibration test

  The product is exposed to vibration for a given period of time. Vibration testing is performed to ensure that the design and fixings are safe.

• Flammability Test

  This can be a number of various tests depending on the material. To simplify one can say that the product is tested to ensure that it will not act as fuel if subjected to fire.

Quality Standards

Are used across the business to ensure that we produce consistent products that meet our specifications. These also ensure that we assess the risks associated with both our business and products on a regular basis. Our Quality Standards are assessed and approved by external bodies nationally.

• ISO 9001:2015

  As an ISO 9001:2015 quality standards company, we have a strong commitment to safety. We aim to meet or exceed, all regulatory requirements and Codes of Practice, on all products, which we manufacture and supply.

  It is our objective to give customers and end-users complete confidence in the ability of our products to offer safety during travel, provided they are installed and used in the correct manner.

• ISO/IEC 17025:2018

  This standard specifies the general requirements for operating a testing laboratory. For example, competence, impartiality as well as consistent operation of the laboratory. Compliance to this standard is a vital part of the accreditation of our static lab in Sweden.

  It is our objective to give customers and end users complete confidence in the ability of our products to offer safety during travel, provided they are installed and used in the correct manner.

• ISO 14001:2015

Standards and guidelines in relation to products

• CE labelling

  For a product to be granted a CE label, a number of risk analyses must be performed for each product, which must also be accompanied by descriptive documentation in line with the selected regulation.

• ISO 10542

  All BraunAbility wheelchair safety products are tested to the requirements of ISO 10542 using our dynamic laboratory and have been witnessed by the Vehicle Certificate Agency (VCA). All the results are supported by independent test reports.

• ECE R16 and ECE R17

  All BraunAbility seats and seat swivel bases are tested to the requirements of ECE R17. The floor, seat, and belt anchorages are tested according to the requirements of ECE R14. ISOFIX anchorages are tested according to ECE R145. Products with electrical parts are tested for electromagnetic compatibility according to ECE R10 at RISE. 

• EN 1756

  This regulation specifies safety requirements for the design of lifts in vehicles. All BraunAbility wheelchair lifts are EN 1756 compliant.