The electrical industry's association of electrical product recyclers, reconditioners and surplus dealers said it won important recognition for its product testing and remanufacturing standards when the City of Seattle became one of the first major metropolitan areas to include electrical reconditioning standards developed by the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) as a requisite for new electrical testing, assessment and remanufacturing services.
Early this month, PEARL said in a release, the city announced it was seeking to contract for electrical testing, assessment, and remanufacturing services. The invitation to bid specified that officials in Seattle were looking to obtain “standardized, qualified services” from a PEARL member – and in doing so it affirmed the city’s confidence in PEARL’s reconditioning standards. The city anticipates spending up to $500,000 per year for the services.
“Seattle’s requirement that vendors have PEARL certification reflects the high levels of quality and safety ensured by our electrical reconditioning standards and the hard work of our corporate members that helped develop the standards,” says Stephen Reames, owner of Oregon Breakers, Inc., and recently elected PEARL president. Seattle’s decision follows the Canadian Standards Association’s recent decision to reference PEARL reconditioning standards in its CSA Z463 Guideline on Maintenance of Electrical Systems.