WASHINGTON, D.C., and ARLINGTON, VA, September 22-The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) – ACLASS brand announce that ACLASS will begin accrediting testing laboratories under new Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requirements for the safe manufacture of children’s products.

According to prerequisites defined in Public Law 110-314-the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)-manufacturers and private labelers must submit samples of certain children’s products for testing by an independent laboratory before those products can be imported, warehoused or sold in the United States.

The requirements apply to any product manufactured more than 90 days after the commission has announced its conditions for conformance with a specific safety rule; the first item for CPSC action will address lead paint.

The CPSIA also dictates that testing must be conducted by laboratories that are accredited against the international standard ISO/IEC 17025,General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. The standard defines how laboratories shall demonstrate that they operate a quality system, are technically competent and able to generate technically valid results.

“Third-party testing is a key step in the process to provide parents with assurances that the products being used by their children are safe,” says ACLASS Vice President of Lab Accreditation Keith Greenaway. “We at ACLASS accreditation can be used as a tool to demonstrate to CPSC and Congress; manufacturers, importers and retailers; and to the general public that a testing laboratory is competent and capable.”

The CPSIA legislation further requires that the accreditation bodies must themselves be recognized by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), a cooperation of more than 70 peer laboratory and inspection accreditation bodies around the world.