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Nuclear Safety and Counterfeit, Fraudulent and Suspected Items
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What are CFSI?
Counterfeit, Fraudulent and Suspected Items (CFSI) can be found in all walks of life, but they are particularly dangerous in the nuclear industry. Perhaps the most obvious example of CFSI could be a pair of counterfeit designer sunglasses. Looking very similar and available to the consumer at a fraction of the price of the authentic product, they could be a tempting purchase.
However, these counterfeit sunglasses will not share the same manufacturing standards and stringent testing before being sold to the consumer. This could mean that the counterfeit sunglasses could not actually provide consumers with sufficient protection from the sun and could be detrimental for their long-term health.
CFSI products are often made in unacceptable working conditions and often have links to organised crime and even terrorism. It is vitally important to identify and not support CFSI goods.
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CFSI and the Nuclear Industry
CFSI products do not stop at consumer goods, they reach far and wide including the manufacture of components that are used in a variety of industrial products.
Imagine the impact of an CFSI component reaching the nuclear supply chain. The sub-standard quality of manufacturing could lead to the risk of failure, subsequently posing a risk to public health and the wider environment.
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How Does Penny Nuclear Mitigate the Risk of CFSI?
Penny Nuclear understand the risk of CFSI and the requirement for robust processes and stringent traceability of the materials used to manufacture products for the nuclear industry.
The Nuclear Industry Safety Directors Forum has published a guide to CFSI, within the guide are recommendations to avoid CFSI. These include:
- For engineering and design roles, clearly define technical specifications, critical characteristics and acceptance criteria as early as possible.
- For procurement teams, ensure that these requirements are passed down through the supply chain as they form an essential part in acceptance of goods upon delivery
- With the rise of online purchasing, the complexity of tackling CFSI in a modern supply chain has increased. Try to trade directly with the manufacturer wherever possible.
- Carry out thorough due diligence before engaging with a new supplier. If this isn’t possible, find out where non-approved suppliers are sourcing from.
- Promote awareness of CFSI and provide functional training within your business.
Penny Nuclear apply all of these recommendations to our processes, ensuring that we minimise the risk of any CFSI components reaching the nuclear industry supply chain. On top of this, we keep records of where and when all materials that are used in fabrication have come from. This level of traceability provides both ourselves and our clients with the peace of mind that the materials are of high quality.
We welcome audits by our customers and are happy to provide evidence of our efforts to reduce CFSI and to ensure that our processes and procedures meet their requirements.
Want to find out more about CFSI?
A wealth of information is available online: