Consumer Product Safety Commission November 18, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Consumer Product Safety Act (``CPSA''), at section 14(a) as amended by section 102(a) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (``CPSIA''), Public Law 110-314, requires that, for products manufactured on or after November 12, 2008, manufacturers (including importers) and private labelers of the products certify that the products comply with all applicable CPSA consumer product safety rules and similar rules, bans, standards and regulations under any other laws administered by the Commission by issuing a certificate that accompanies the product and can be furnished to certain parties. The certificate must specify each such rule, ban, standard, or regulation with which the product must comply. In general, the certification must be based on a test of each product or upon a reasonable testing program. Certificates and certification for certain children's products must be based on testing by third party laboratories whose accreditation to do so has been accepted by the Commission. The third party testing requirements become effective on a rolling schedule as the Commission issues specific laboratory accreditation requirements. Section 14(a)(4) of the CPSA gives the Commission the authority where there is more than one manufacturer, importer, or private labeler to designate one or more of such entities as the person(s) who shall issue the required certificate and to relieve all others of that responsibility. The final rule published today limits the parties who must certify to the U.S. importer and, in the case of domestically produced products, the U.S. manufacturer. It also specifies the requirements that an electronic certificate must meet.