White Papers for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Understanding Product Certification marks and the Product Testing and Certification Process

CSA International

Every day, retail buyers, merchandising managers, quality assurance managers and others in retail 0perations make important decisions about which products will appear on their stores’ shelves. While factors such as style or fashion trends, new technology, brand popularity, promotional support, and others can play important roles in the selection process, the presence of a certification mark from a qualified laboratory can be a key prerequisite of product acceptance.
Product certification marks—such as the CSA mark, the CSA Blue Star, or the UL mark—are found on a wide range of products, including electrical and gas appliances, consumer electronics, plumbing products, water purification units, heating and ventilating equipment and lighting products. Although many retailers today require that certification marks appear on the products they sell, confusion remains about what certification marks mean, who is qualified to perform product testing and certification and issue the marks, and how testing and certification organizations can assist retailers in protecting their customers, and their businesses, from products that don’t meet accepted standards for safety and/or performance.
If retail buyers and quality assurance managers do not have a clear understanding of the marks and the companies who issue them, it can prevent them from better assuring that the products in their stores meet applicable standards for safety and/or performance. And it may unnecessarily limit the products they make available to their customers, placing their stores at a competitive disadvantage.

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