Canadian_Standards_Association

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Canadian Standards Association

Established in 1919, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is a not-for-profit association composed of representatives from government, industry, and consumer groups. Its primary product is safety and performance standards, including those for electrical and electronic equipment, industrial equipment, boilers and pressure vessels, compressed gas handling appliances, environmental protection, and construction materials. The CSA also provides training materials and information products.

Laws and regulations in most municipalities, states, and provinces in North America require certain products to be tested to a specific standard or group of standards by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). The CSA is one such NRTL which manufacturers can choose, usually because the law of the jurisdiction requires it, or the customer specifies it. Due to the legal requirement and the cost of standards testing, counterfeit marks are not uncommon.

The CSA developed the CAN/CSA Z299 series of quality assurance standards, which are still in use today. They are an alternative to the ISO 9000 series of quality standards.

The CSA is a division of CSA Group which also includes CSA International, a global certification and testing organization; and OnSpeX, a provider of consumer product evaluation services.

History

Canadian Standards Association was established in 1919 as the Canadian Engineering Standards Association (CESA). CESA was renamed the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) in 1944.

In 1999, CSA International was established to provide of international product testing and certification services while CSA shifted its primary focus to standards development and training. In 2001, these three divisions were joined under the name CSA Group.

In 2004, OnSpeX was launched as the fourth division of CSA Group.

OnSpeX

OnSpeX is a division of CSA Group. OnSpeX is a provider of global product performance evaluation services for the consumer product and retail markets with expertise in product design consulting, product specifications, product evaluation, inspection and data analytics.

OnSpeX provides various evaluation, inspection and advisory services designed to help organizations accelerate supply chains, increase product sales, build customer satisfaction and lower product return rates.