ANSI accredits certification bodies for toy safety.
Press Release Summary:
ANSI announced the first 5 certification bodies to be accredited under Toy Industry Association Toy Safety Certification Program®, which was created to improve toy safety, enhance stakeholder confidence in toy products, and comply with federal legislation. ANSI accreditations under TSCP have been granted to Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, Intertek Testing Services Hong Kong Ltd., NSF International, SGS North America Inc., and STR-Registrar, LLC.
Original Press Release:
ANSI Accredits First Five Certification Bodies under Toy Safety Certification Program
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, is pleased to announce the first five certification bodies to be accredited under the new Toy Industry Association (TIA) Toy Safety Certification Program®. The TSCP was created to improve toy safety, enhance stakeholder confidence in toy products, and comply with new federal legislation mandating that toys be tested by a qualified lab and certified that they meet rigorous national safety standards and regulations, as well as retailer requirements.
ANSI accreditations under the TSCP have been granted to:
Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
Intertek Testing Services Hong Kong Ltd.
NSF International
SGS North America Inc.
STR-Registrar, LLC
These certification bodies were assessed based on the requirements in the International Standard ISO/IEC Guide 65, General Requirements for Bodies Operating Product Certification Systems, the associated International Accreditation Forum (IAF) Guidance Document, and program requirements for the TSCP.
ISO/IEC Guide 65 - the cornerstone of ANSI's product certification accreditation process - is a globally recognized guideline that will facilitate the recognition of TSCP certifications across national borders. And since ANSI's accreditation programs are driven by a process of continual quality improvement, certification bodies accredited under the TSCP will be subjected to periodic assessment and on-site evaluations to verify their continued conformance to program criteria.
"ANSI is pleased to announce these new accreditations for Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, Intertek Testing Services Hong Kong, NSF International, SGS North America, and STR-Registrar, which recognize their fulfillment of the ANSI and TSCP requirements for competence of product certification bodies," said Lane Hallenbeck, vice president for accreditation services at ANSI. "Keeping children safe is a top priority for ANSI and TIA, as well as for parents nationwide. Through the TSCP effort, we can assure integrity and consistency in toy safety certification, helping to boost consumer confidence that the toys on store shelves are safe."
Development of the TSCP began in August 2007 when TIA engaged ANSI to coordinate a public-private partnership to develop conformity assessment guidance regarding toy safety. The resulting program has included and will continue to integrate input from U.S. government bodies, consumer groups, toy companies, retailers, toy testing labs, and factory auditing companies as well as officials and industry representatives from China and the European Union.
The program builds on the requirements of the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and goes even further to help assure the safety of toys entering the U.S. marketplace.
Under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2008, ANSI was named as the official third-party accreditor of TSCP's product certification bodies.
"Today's announcement is another significant milestone in the launch of the Toy Safety Certification Program," said Elizabeth Borrelli, TSCP executive director. "The ANSI-TIA partnership has been instrumental in the development of a transparent, effective and credible system that will help to identify and remedy potential problems throughout the toy supply chain - from product design to playtime."
ANSI administers more than 30 distinct product accreditation program scopes - ranging from appliances and bottled water to plumbing products and fresh produce. Via the Institute's involvement in several international and regional agreements, many ANSI-accredited certification programs are recognized as equally reliable to commensurate programs around the world.
ANSI is now accepting applications for further accreditations under the TSCP.
Additional information about the Toy Safety Certification Program® can be found at www.toycertification.org. Information about the ANSI accreditation process can be found online at ansi.org/tscp. To learn more about the requirements or to obtain an application, please contact Reinaldo Figueiredo, ANSI senior program director (rfigueir@ansi.org; 202.331.3611), or Nikki Jackson, ANSI program manager (njackson@ansi.org; 202.331.3623).
About ANSI
ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.
The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ANSI is also a signatory to the multilateral recognition arrangement (MLA) for product certification of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
About TIA
TIA is the not-for-profit trade association for producers and importers of toys and youth entertainment products sold in North America, representing over 500 companies who account for approximately 85% of domestic toy sales. Toy safety is the number one priority for the toy industry. TIA has a long history of leadership in toy safety including development of the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 30 years ago, and working with government, consumers and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe play. For more information about the TSCP and TIA's commitment to toy safety, please visit www.toyassociation.org, www.toyinfo.org, or www.toycertification.org.
