product safety

As manufacturers design new products and update the design of old products, many times they sell and offer for sale different designs with differing levels of safety and quality. There are many reasons for the differences including multi-functional uses of the product, different price points (e.g. good, better, and best), requests by customers, adoption of safety improvements, and inconsistent regulations and standards between the U.S. and foreign countries.

This article will explore the legal and practical risks in selling products with these differences and what manufacturers can do to minimize the risk.

Manufacturers and distributors of electronic and electrical devices are required to meet various Product Safety standards established by the United States, Canada, European Union, and various global agencies. Today, manufacturers have multiple options for testing their products to various North American Standards through Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) and independent value-added laboratories that have approvals for NRTL testing under a variety of programs. Good independent labs must be assessed to ISO 17025 for testing laboratories, similar to those requirements found under ISO 9000 requirements for manufacturers.