product - American National Standards Institute Documents/News and Publications... ·...
Transcript of product - American National Standards Institute Documents/News and Publications... ·...
American NationalStandards Institute
T he mission of the American NationalStandards Institute (ANSI) is toenhance the global competitiveness of
U.S. business and the American quality of lifeby promoting, facilitating and ensuring theintegrity of voluntary consensus standards andthe related conformity assessment systems.
ANSI is a founding member of the Inter-national Accreditation Forum (IAF), theInternational Organization for Standardization(ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee,the International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC). The Institute also participates in theactivities of regional standardization andaccreditation cooperation bodies, includingthe Pacific Accreditation Cooperation and theInterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Reinaldo Figueiredo, Senior Program Director,Product and Process Accreditation Programs,American National Standards Institute1899 L Street, NW — Suite 1100Washington, DC 20036
T: 202.331.3611F: 202.293.9287E: [email protected]
www.ansi.org
Standards are just good ideas unlessproducts, processes, systems andpersonnel conform to them.
Certification is a statement that the specifiedrequirements in a voluntary standard orregulation will be met. These requirements ofteninclude statements of how to make a productsafe, efficient, and compatible with others.
A certification body is an impartial thirdparty that tests and evaluates a product todetermine its compliance with relevantstandards. Upon verification, a certificationmark is applied to the product or itspackaging to serve as a visual statementof conformance.
A certification program that is accredited byANSI is recognized for its adherence tointernational accreditation requirements.Benefits are recognized not only by theaccredited certification body, but also by theproduct manufacturer and the end user:
� Doors open to international markets� Trade barriers are reduced� The need for a duplicative test or mark
is often eliminated;� Consumers gain access to safer and
better quality products� Government agencies are aided in
their efforts to assure public safety andhealth and to protect the environment
accreditation
program for
product
certification
bodies
� BRC Global Standard for Food Safety
� CanadaGAP
� ChileGAP
� Florverde
� Food Safety Auditing
� Global Aquaculture Alliance - Best AquaculturePractice, Seafood Processing Standard
� GLOBALG.A.P. General Regulations IntegratedFarm Assurance
� International Food Standard
� MéxicoG.A.P
� PrimusGFS
� SQF Code 7th Edition
� Veriflora
competenceimpartialityintegrity
These principles
are the foundation
of a system built
to provide industry,
government and
consumers with
confidence that
the products we
use and depend on
every day meet
a set of defined
characteristics.
ANSI, the American
National Standards
Institute, plays a
key role in this
system — opening
global markets and
helping to mitigate
the impact of both
U.S. and foreign
regulatory burdens.
Global acceptanceProduct certification programs accredited byANSI comply with internationally recognizedguidelines, requirements and standards.The cornerstone of ANSI’s accreditationprocess is ISO/IEC Guide 65, Generalrequirements for bodies operating productcertification systems. The global acceptanceof ISO/IEC Guide 65 facilitates therecognition of certifications across nationalborders and reduces barriers to trade forsuppliers’ goods and services.
Regulatory relianceDomestically, regulators at the federal, stateand local levels are increasingly motivated todepend upon independent certification bodiesfor the accurate and unbiased evaluation ofcertain products. ANSI’s accreditation of acertification program demonstrates to thegovernment that competence has beenestablished and is being maintained.
Continual improvementANSI’s accreditation programs are driven bya process of continual improvement andresponsiveness to evolving user needs.Periodic assessment and on-site evaluationsverify conformance to program criteria.These regular evaluations help to ensure thatan organization is competent to perform thetests, review the results, conduct evaluationsand make decisions on certification.
SAFE QUALITY FOOD
Consumer confidence insafe quality food and theintegrity of the food supply
chain is enhanced by the partnership betweenANSI and the Food Marketing Institute. ANSIprovides an accreditation service for FMI’sSafe Quality Food Initiative certificationprogram (www.sqfi.com).
TELECOMMUNICATIONSAND RADIO EQUIPMENT
The U.S. federal governmentrelies on ANSI to accredit
Telecommunications Certification Bodies undera Federal Communications Commissionprogram that enforces rules for themanufacturers of telecommunications andradio communication equipment used in theU.S. and abroad.
SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY
At the request of theSustainable Forestry Board,ANSI administers an
accreditation service for certification bodiesoperating under the Sustainable ForestryInitiative Chain of Custody (SFI CoC) and/orthe PEFC Chain of Custody (PEFC CoC)programs. These initiatives positively impact arange of forest-based products and theirmovement from the forest to the end user.
ANSI-Accredited Product Certification ProgramsScopes of Certification Activities
� Appliances� Automotive lifting
devices� BIFMA - sustainable
furniture� Bottled water and
packaged ice� Building products� Building and
institutional furniture� Class II biohazard
cabinetry� Drinking water additives� Drinking water
treatment units� Electric appliances and
accessories� Electrical products� Electronic health
records� EPA Energy Star� EPA WaterSense� Fenestration products� Food service
equipment� Food safety� Gas appliances and
accessories
� Gas and oil products� Manufactured products� Recreational vehicle
plumbing products� Marine products� Personal protective
and safety equipment� Plastic piping systems
and components� Plumbing products� Recreational and
occupational healthand safety/Personalprotective clothing
� Sanitation products� Sealed insulating
glass� Solar energy� Sustainable forestry� Swimming pools, spas
and components� Telecommunications
and radio equipment� Treated wood� Wastewater treatment
units� Windows and doors� Wood products