Industry News: QCA Director Attends Safety Summit With CPSC Leaders


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Industry News: QCA Director Attends Safety Summit With CPSC Leaders

Issue: 2009nov

D E Fenton, executive director of compliance for the Chicago, Illinois-based Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), attended the Third Biennial United States-China Consumer Product Safety Summit in China, October 21-26.

The symposium between the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and its counterpart Chinese agency, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) was held in Wuxi, Shanghai, and Beijing, China.

“Until now, the dialogue between CPSC and AQSIQ on product safety has been exclusively bilateral,” says Fenton. “The inclusion of industry stakeholders at this year’s Summit emphasizes the point that while voluntary arrangements are being instituted, the success of these programs relies on commitment from the stakeholders to ensure product safety policies are translated into effective management programs that are both implemented and adhered to.”

Fenton was one of 20 individuals selected to attend by the CPSC; attendees included top leadership from CPSC and AQSIQ, third-party testing companies, various industry initiatives affected by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), and brand and retailer compliance firms.

This year’s summit emphasized a more significant commitment to a comprehensive approach to product safety. With input from U.S. and Chinese stakeholders, CPSC and AQSIQ discussed measures to ensure that U.S. importers and Chinese suppliers establish a comprehensive and systemic approach to preventing and detecting safety hazards in consumer products, from product design, through manufacturing and to the ultimate use of the product by the consumer.

“The opportunity to join other organizations who are effectively addressing product safety in their respective industries was both an honor and a compliment of what we have accomplished in building QCA’s accreditation program,” says Fenton. “Talking about the issues that come up in developing the processes necessary to deliver safe products and how to deal with them in a best practice format is essential for all those involved in manufacturing to move forward with confidence in meeting the changing regulatory environment.”

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