CSA International

CSA International (Canadian Standards Association), a member of the CSA Group, is a provider of product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in the U.S., Canada and around the world, CSA’s marks appear on billions of products worldwide.

CSA International certification marks indicate that a product, process or service has been tested to a Canadian or U.S. standard and it meets the requirements of an applicable CSA standard or another recognized document used as a basis for certification.

For consumers, CSA International certification marks are intended to provide increased assurance of quality and safety. For manufacturers, international recognition of the mark may help to ease their entry into North American markets. CSA International certification marks are accepted by many North American regulators and by a large number of North American retailers. Billions of products bearing CSA International certification marks are found on the shelves of well-known retail chains and sold by major product distributors.

CSA International tests products for the North American and International markets against applicable standards including those of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), NSF National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and other agencies.

CSA International is accredited by national agencies including:

*Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) – Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory
*American National Standards Institute (ANSI),
*National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP)
*National Evaluation Service (NES)
*Standards Council of Canada (SCC)

CSA International offices and laboratories, located across North America, and in Asia, India and Europe, are all equipped to provide the testing and certification services. CSA International also helps manufacturers access other markets with testing and certification programs available for Europe and China.

CSA International is a division of CSA Group, which also includes: CSA, a developer of standards and codes; OnSpeX for consumer product evaluation services; and QMI, a leading North American management systems registrar.

History

CSA International was established as a provider of product testing and certification services in 1999.

Prior to CSA International, product testing and certification services were provided by the laboratories of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which was originally founded in 1919 as the Canadian Engineering Standards Association (CESA).

When a nationwide approach to certification of electrical products was called for in 1940, CESA assumed the responsibility for testing and certifying electrical products intended for sale and installation in Canada. To better reflect the breadth of CESA’s activity, it officially became the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) in 1944. Shortly thereafter, in 1946, the CSA Certification Mark was officially registered.

As World War II ended, Canada experienced a housing boom and CSA was called on to develop additional independent third-party testing and certification programs for areas such as gas and plumbing. To meet the increased demand, in 1954, CSA officially opened it’s fully equipped laboratories on Rexdale Boulevard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today CSA International has laboratories across Canada, the U.S., Asia, and Europe and works closely with approximately 15,000 companies in more than 60 countries.

About CSA International Certification

Certification is the procedure by which a facility, product, service or system becomes tested or inspected and certified in conformity with the applicable standard or other recognized document(s). Certification of a product is an ongoing process that involves follow up factory inspections and retail surveillance to ensure conformity.

CSA International certifies products in the following categories:

Gas Equipment: Food Processing and Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning, Commercial and Industrial Water Heaters and Boilers, Incineration, Accessories, Laundry Equipment, Portable Camping Equipment, Vehicle Fuel Systems and Industrial Engines, Gas/Propane Installation Codes, Fuel Cells

Construction Products and Materials: Building Materials and Masonry, Offshore Structures, Concrete, Welding, Forest Products, Plumbing Products and Materials, Industrialized Building Construction, Structures (Design)

Life Sciences: Health Care Technology, Public Safety, Occupational Health and Safety

Electrical and Electronics: Canadian Electrical Code - Parts I, II and III, Wiring, Industrial, Consumer and Commercial Products, Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetic Compatibility

Communications: Telecommunications/Information Technology, Electromagnetic Compatibility

Energy: Performance, Renewable Energy and Efficiency, Energy Conservation in Housing, Fire Safety and Fuel Burning Equipment, Nuclear Facility and Reactor Components, Oil and Gas Industry Systems and Materials

About CSA International Certification Marks

The CSA mark indicates that a product, process or service has been tested to a Canadian or U.S. standard and meets the requirements of an applicable CSA standard or another recognized document used as a basis for certification. For consumers, the mark provides increased assurance of quality and safety. For manufacturers, international recognition of the mark helps to ease their entry into foreign markets.

Only when a product has been certified to an applicable standard is it entitled to bear the appropriate CSA International Certification mark. certification marks appear on product packaging and on, or adhered to, the product itself depending on the individual requirements of each applicable standard.

Regulatory authorities in many occupational health and safety, electrical, gas, building, plumbing, and other fields in the U.S. and Canada, accept CSA International certification marks. Products with CSA International certification marks are accepted by many major retailers, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers and regulators throughout the U.S. and in export markets around the world.

Accreditation

In Canada CSA International is accredited as a Certification Organization (CO) and as a Testing Organization (TO) by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).

In the U.S., CSA International is accredited by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

OSHA accredited laboratories are certified to conduct tests against the same sets of U.S. standards and codes, regardless of who authors or publishes them. For example, CSA International tests to applicable U.S. standards, including ANSI, UL, CSA, NSF, and others.

Product Approval

CSA International tests and certifies products to an applicable standard or standards but it does not approve products for sale. The appropriate federal, provincial or state regulatory agencies are responsible for regulating the sale of approved products in their respective jurisdictions. These regulatory authorities utilize the certification of a given product as a means to base their decisions for their approval for sale.

Global Offices and Laboratories

Atlanta, GA • Charlotte, NC • Chicago, IL • Cleveland, OH • Dallas, TX • Los Angeles, CA • Nashville, TN • Edmonton, AB • Montreal, PQ • Toronto, ON • Vancouver, BC • Arnhem, the Netherlands • Bangalore, India • Mumbai, India • Hong Kong, China • Guangzhou, China • Shanghai, China • Seoul, Republic of Korea • Tokyo, Japan

External links

* [http://www.csagroup.org/ CSA Group Web site]
* [http://www.csa.ca/ Canadian Standards Association]
* [http://www.csa-international.org/ CSA International]
* [http://www.qmi.com/ QMI]
* [http://www.onspex.com/ Onspex]