A2LA Announces Accreditation of Testing Laboratories to Meet the Requirements of H.R.4040, 'Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008'

FREDERICK, Md., Sept. 26 A2LA-CPSC-testing


FREDERICK, Md., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) is proud to announce the addition of the requirements of the newly enacted Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) to its already broad range of accreditation activities.  A2LA is currently accepting new applications for accreditation of laboratories who intend to test to the newly enacted requirements.  As well, A2LA is working with existing accredited laboratories to modify their current scopes of accreditation in order to come into compliance with these new requirements.  There are resources devoted to ensure prompt attention to all interested parties' needs.



"The CPSC was very adamant about adhering to the timeline for accreditation, and A2LA is taking the steps necessary to provide first-class, responsive service, to our laboratories that will allow them to meet the CPSC's time line."  said Peter Unger, President of A2LA.  "This new legislation is paramount to the safety of our nation's children, and we are happy to see that the CPSC is relying on internationally recognized accreditation of testing laboratories to ensure accurate testing is being conducted."



The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently published notice in the Federal Register (Volume 73, Number 184) regarding accreditation requirements for third party testing laboratories that are testing in conformance with the CPSIA.  According to the publication, all products must be tested by a laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by an accreditation body who is a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA).  A2LA became a Full Member Signatory to the ILAC MRA in November 2000, and currently meets this requirement for accrediting bodies.  Due to the new legislation, there will likely be a large demand for testing from the toy industry in the coming months, and A2LA is gearing up for the potential influx of applications for laboratory accreditation. 



"We have processes in place already which allow our existing laboratories to update their current scopes of accreditation in order to meet this new legislation," explained Unger.  "A2LA openly welcomes all new applicants for accreditation and is committed to providing prompt attention to their accreditation needs."



The CPSIA sets very ambitious deadlines for enactment of these testing requirements.  The first of these is lead paint, which will be a mandatory test for children's products; starting 90 days after the commission posted its requirement in the Federal Register.  This posting was published in the Federal Register on September 22, 2008.  Thus, any children's product manufactured after December 22, 2008 will be subject to the lead paint testing requirements outlined in 16 CFR 1303.  The legislation also lays out a time line for implementation of remaining children's products over the course of the upcoming year (refer to H.R. 4040, sec. 102).  

 

About A2LA: A2LA is a nonprofit, non-governmental, public service, membership society.  Its mission is to provide comprehensive accreditation services for laboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing providers, and reference material producers.  Services are available to any type of laboratory or inspection body, product certification body, reference material provider and proficiency testing provider whether private or government.  A2LA is the largest multi-discipline accreditation body in the United States, and the second largest in the world.



More detailed testing requirements, along with information on registering as a Third-Party Testing Laboratory with the CPSC, can be found on the CPSC website, www.cpsc.gov.  All requests for information on the accreditation of third party testing laboratories to meet the requirements of the CPSIA should be directed to the contact listed below.  



CONTACT: Adam Gouker of American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), +1-301-644-3217, agouker@A2LA.org



SOURCE  A2LA, American Association for Laboratory Accreditation