SGS Shanghai Becomes First China Lab Certified for New CPSC Crib Tests

Helps Manufacturers Meet New U.S. Standards Taking Effect June 28

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May 23, 2011, 09:13 ET

FAIRFIELD, N.J., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SGS North America Inc. announced today that the company's Shanghai lab has become the first Chinese testing facility certified by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to provide crib safety testing services for compliance with new CPSC rules that take effect next month. The accreditation provides local testing resources for Chinese factories that produce full-size and/or non-full-size cribs destined to be sold in the U.S.

The new CPSC regulations were enacted in response to the recall of more than 11 million dangerous cribs since 2007, at least 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths associated with detaching drop-side rails since 2000, and additional deaths related to faulty or defective hardware.

The new 16 CFR 1219 and 16 CFR 1220 federal standards address these issues by prohibiting the manufacture or sale of traditional drop-side rail cribs, strengthening crib slats and mattress supports, improving hardware quality, and requiring more rigorous testing. The new standards apply to all cribs manufactured in or imported to the U.S. on or after June 28, 2011.

As with all children's products covered by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, compliance must be certified by the manufacturer, importer or private labeler of record based on testing performed by an approved third-party conformity assessment body.

"A large percentage of cribs sold in the U.S. are manufactured in China. With the new CPSC crib standards, having testing services near the point of manufacture is going to be essential in order to avoid delays in getting new models to market," said Piyush Shah, Toy and Juvenile Products Lab Manager of SGS North America Consumer Testing Services. "Our Shanghai lab has all of the equipment and instrumentation in place to provide these services immediately."

SGS Shanghai is the first of several company labs that will be offering crib testing for compliance with the new CPSC standards worldwide. Certification of the Shanghai facility for crib testing is also part of a major global initiative on juvenile products testing that was announced earlier this month.

In the U.S., the company's flagship in Fairfield, N.J. has expanded its services to provide safety testing for compliance with 20 current ASTM standards covering juvenile products from baby bouncers and booster seats to toddler beds and toy chests. The new services also position SGS to apply for certification of the Fairfield facility as a third-party testing lab for juvenile products as each relevant ASTM standard is added to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Overseas, the company is also preparing to add or expand juvenile products testing services at lab locations including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France and the United Kingdom as well as Shanghai.

More information about SGS North America's juvenile products testing services is available by visiting the company website, emailing [email protected], or calling 800-777-TEST. More information about SGS North America is available at www.us.sgs.com.

About SGS Consumer Testing Services

SGS Consumer Testing Services, a division of the SGS Group, is the world's leading verification, testing and certification company. The company's comprehensive testing, product inspection, process assessment and technical services cover the entire supply chain from product development to retailing for electrical products, wireless products, soft line products, hard line products and food products. SGS' global network and expertise provide a single consolidated source that can help manufacturers, suppliers and retailers reduce risk, improve efficiency and product quality, and ensure compliance to both national and international standards. Parent company SGS Group has more than 64,000 employees and over 1,250 offices and laboratories in 140 countries. For more information about Consumer Testing Services, visit www.us.sgs.com/cts

SOURCE SGS North America Inc.