Intertek launches new solutions to aid industry confusion over CPSIA
05 Mar 2009
New ‘Risk & Responsibility Assessment’ and ‘Inventory Screening’ services to drive understanding and compliance
Intertek, the leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries globally, today launched new product assessment and inventory-screening services to assist customers with understanding and complying with the complex new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA).
The CPSIA came into force on August 14, 2008 and introduced a range of new safety-testing and other obligations for businesses that import and manufacture children’s products. Many businesses in the US and abroad remain uncertain about the breadth of the application of the Act and how, whether, and when it will affect them. Further confusion was caused by an announcement by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) this past January that the enforcement of certain testing and certification requirements will be delayed until February 10, 2010 1.
Intertek today launched two new services to address business confusion and support its clients’ paths to compliance. A new ‘Risk and Responsibility Assessment’ consultancy service will help companies identify their individual responsibilities under the Act by creating detailed reports on each of their product lines and a defined strategy to meet all compliance deadlines step by step.
Intertek’s new ‘XRF’ Screening service will help businesses screen their inventories of existing stock for the presence of lead. Lead has strict phase-out deadlines under the Act and applies in some areas to products created before the Act even came into effect thus creating a challenge for businesses that need to rapidly audit large inventories of stock in multiple locations in the US and internationally. Intertek’s experts will attend clients’ warehouse or store locations and scan inventories with hand-held ’XRF’ scanning technology, detecting and flagging products with certain levels of lead to be considered for essential laboratory testing. The service is an initial step to help with the need for widespread evaluation of existing inventory for ongoing monitoring and may also reduce the likelihood of non-compliances by reducing sampling risk.
“We are seeing a lot of businesses struggling to understand their compliance requirements under CPSIA”, explains Joel Pekay, Global Business Development Director of Intertek’s Health and Environmental Services. “The consultancy and XRF-screening solutions we’ve launched today will help guide our customers in their efforts to comply, understand and protect their business under the new requirements.”
Notes to Editors:
1. The ruling by the CPSC on January 30, 2009 delaying certain third party accredited testing and General Conformity Certification (GCC) Requirements has given a short but welcome relief for some industries. However, Toys and Children Products still have to comply with all applicable regulations and the stay does not relieve the children’s product industry from complying with underlying requirements that came into effect on February 10, 2009.
Contacts
For further information, please contact
Joel Pekay
Global Marketing and Business Development Director
Telephone: +1 630.481.3126
E-Mail: joel.pekay@intertek.com
green@intertek.com
www.intertek.com/green
About Intertek Health & Environmental Services (www.intertek.com/green)
Intertek Health & Environmental Services offers the complete solution for health and environmental compliance for global, regional or local compliance, providing sound traceability systems and strict enforcement of due diligence policies. Intertek does more than simply help our clients comply, we give them the competitive advantage they desire. Our services offers comprehensive services for RoHS, Restricted substances, CPSIA, REACH, California Proposition 65, Carbon Management, and Greenhouse Gas reduction, including on-call consulting, product testing and analysis, legal representation, certification and corporate education appropriate for all types and levels of business. Intertek Health & Environmental Services is a leader in global environmental compliance, technology services and product stewardship
About Intertek (www.intertek.com)
Intertek (ITRK.L) is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 23,000 people in 110 countries around the world.