BHMA and the Retailers’ Toolkit
The BHMA Secure Home™ label makes shopping for hardware easy.
By Ralph Vasami
The BHMA Certified Secure Home label is the first of its kind to help retailers – and consumers – easily identify which locks and deadbolts have been tested, certified and rated according to performance standards for home security and product durability, including the product’s ability to stay aesthetically appealing, despite repeated use and weathering.
Retailers can now benefit from this label, developed by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA), to help them better assist those in the market for a new lockset or deadbolt for their home. The BHMA Certified Secure Home™ label helps to clearly distinguish which products have been tested and certified to stringent standards in three areas most important to today’s homeowners: security, durability and finish.
BHMA, the trade association for manufacturers of commercial and residential hardware, has developed a toolkit for retailers to help them better understand the Certified Secure Home label. The toolkit can also be used to help educate customers, and includes answers to frequently asked questions about BHMA and the Secure Home program, as well as two infographics that explain how to read the Certified Secure Home label and how to use it when selecting a new lock or deadbolt.
This resource may be downloaded for free on www.securehome.org, an educational website that is home to all the information that homeowners, retailers and trade professionals need to know about the Certified Secure Home label.
Only locks and deadbolts with the BHMA Certified Secure Home label have been rigorously tested and certified to performance standards for security, durability and finish. After testing, each product is independently rated on a Good (C), Better (B), Best (A) scale depending on its performance. The rating combination is then showcased on the product’s individual label to help retailers, consumers and trade professionals easily determine which lock or deadbolt is right for their needs.
About BHMA
The BHMA Certified Secure Home™ label was developed by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) to assist consumers and residential contractors when it comes to making hardware-purchasing decisions for the home. BHMA is dedicated to enhancing public safety and the security of buildings through standards, code advocacy and a commitment to fostering innovations that lead to the continuous improvement of builders’ hardware.
An industry leader in building safety and security, BHMA is the only organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop and maintain performance standards for locks, closers, exit devices and other builders hardware, including residential locksets, latches and deadbolts.
Ralph Vasami is executive director of the Builders Manufacturers Hardware Association.