Third - Party Testing

The new act requires third - party testing for all consumer products intended for children 12 years old or younger. Each manufacturer (including importers) of children's products or private - brand owners must test the products. The testing must be carried out by an accredited independent testing laboratory, and based on the test results, a certificate stating that the product complies with all current requirements of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission must be issued.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is authorized to accredit testing laboratories ( "third - party conformity assessment bodies") required for testing children's products or designate independent accreditation bodies to accredit testing laboratories, except in the case where the commission itself must accredit a laboratory controlled by the manufacturer of the product in question. To maintain fairness, government laboratories must meet strict independent standards. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission must publish an updated list of accredited laboratories on the commission's website and has the right to suspend or revoke the accreditation of a laboratory under appropriate circumstances.

The requirements for third - party testing and certification of children's products are gradually introduced in a continuous manner. The act requires the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to announce the laboratory accreditation system for testing different categories of children's products. Once the commission announces the laboratory accreditation requirements for a certain category of children's products, each product in that category, if manufactured 90 days after the entry into force of the regulations, must be tested and certified in accordance with the current requirements. The schedule for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to announce laboratory accreditation requirements and certifications is as follows: