Accreditation is the process in which organizations are formally recognized based on their compliance to international standards, such as ISO/IEC 17025. Accreditation from an established accrediting body, such as A2LA, ensures an organization’s competency and promotes high quality service and accountability.
At A2LA, it’s our mission to accredit organizations with the highest integrity and expertise to create trust, safety, and quality throughout the world. We are an International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) recognized accreditation body, having undergone rigorous peer evaluations, and meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011, which ensures our competency to accredit conformity assessment bodies (CABs) under the ILAC Mutual Recognition Agreement.
Many organizations choose to be accredited to set themselves apart from competitors and build customer confidence. Occasionally, legal entities and regulatory bodies, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), require laboratories to be accredited by an ILAC-MRA accreditation body, such as A2LA.
As a federal agency, the CPSC works to prevent injuries and fatalities by addressing potential hazards found in everyday consumer products – like toys, electronics, furniture, and appliances. This is accomplished through setting rules and requirements for these products, issuing recall notices for products that do not meet their standards, and providing warnings on products that are possibly unsafe.
To ensure reliable test results and build consumer confidence, the commission requires laboratories that perform testing activities identified in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to be accredited to keep consumers safe in their day-to-day lives. A2LA offers a Consumer Product Safety Testing Accreditation Program that helps product testing organizations meet the requirements of the CPSC.
After an organization earns the required accreditation, it must register electronically with the CPSC to become an accepted testing laboratory.
In the figure below, we lay out the process for becoming accredited and meeting CPSC’s product testing requirements.
For more information about A2LA’s Consumer Product Safety Testing program, visit our website here, or contact us at info@A2LA.org.
Take the first step toward accreditation and request a quote today.
Additional Resources
1 Examples of CPSC Test Methods, Regulations, Standards, or Bans
Chemical Methods: https://www.cpsc.gov/Business–Manufacturing/Testing-Certification/Lab-Accreditation/Test-Methods
CPSC list of children’s product safety rules that require 3rd party testing: https://www.cpsc.gov/Business–Manufacturing/Testing-Certification/Lab-Accreditation/Rules-Requiring-Third-Party-Testing
Business Guidance Library: https://www.cpsc.gov/Business–Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Library
2 CPSC Form 223 – Lab Accreditation: https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/labregentry/