American NationalStandards Institute

T he mission of the American NationalStandards Institute (ANSI) is toenhance the global competitiveness of

U.S. business and the American quality of lifeby promoting, facilitating and ensuring theintegrity of voluntary consensus standards andthe related conformity assessment systems.

ANSI is a founding member of the Inter-national Accreditation Forum (IAF), theInternational Organization for Standardization(ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee,the International Electrotechnical Commission(IEC). The Institute also participates in theactivities of regional standardization andaccreditation cooperation bodies, includingthe Pacific Accreditation Cooperation and theInterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Reinaldo Figueiredo, Senior Program Director,Product and Process Accreditation Programs,American National Standards Institute1899 L Street, NW — Suite 1100Washington, DC 20036

T: 202.331.3611F: 202.293.9287E: rfigueir@ansi.org

www.ansi.org

Standards are just good ideas unlessproducts, processes, systems andpersonnel conform to them.

Certification is a statement that the specifiedrequirements in a voluntary standard orregulation will be met. These requirements ofteninclude statements of how to make a productsafe, efficient, and compatible with others.

A certification body is an impartial thirdparty that tests and evaluates a product todetermine its compliance with relevantstandards. Upon verification, a certificationmark is applied to the product or itspackaging to serve as a visual statementof conformance.

A certification program that is accredited byANSI is recognized for its adherence tointernational accreditation requirements.Benefits are recognized not only by theaccredited certification body, but also by theproduct manufacturer and the end user:

� Doors open to international markets� Trade barriers are reduced� The need for a duplicative test or mark

is often eliminated;� Consumers gain access to safer and

better quality products� Government agencies are aided in

their efforts to assure public safety andhealth and to protect the environment

accreditation

program for

product

certification

bodies

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� BRC Global Standard for Food Safety

� CanadaGAP

� ChileGAP

� Florverde

� Food Safety Auditing

� Global Aquaculture Alliance - Best AquaculturePractice, Seafood Processing Standard

� GLOBALG.A.P. General Regulations IntegratedFarm Assurance

� International Food Standard

� MéxicoG.A.P

� PrimusGFS

� SQF Code 7th Edition

� Veriflora

competenceimpartialityintegrity

These principles

are the foundation

of a system built

to provide industry,

government and

consumers with

confidence that

the products we

use and depend on

every day meet

a set of defined

characteristics.

ANSI, the American

National Standards

Institute, plays a

key role in this

system — opening

global markets and

helping to mitigate

the impact of both

U.S. and foreign

regulatory burdens.

Global acceptanceProduct certification programs accredited byANSI comply with internationally recognizedguidelines, requirements and standards.The cornerstone of ANSI’s accreditationprocess is ISO/IEC Guide 65, Generalrequirements for bodies operating productcertification systems. The global acceptanceof ISO/IEC Guide 65 facilitates therecognition of certifications across nationalborders and reduces barriers to trade forsuppliers’ goods and services.

Regulatory relianceDomestically, regulators at the federal, stateand local levels are increasingly motivated todepend upon independent certification bodiesfor the accurate and unbiased evaluation ofcertain products. ANSI’s accreditation of acertification program demonstrates to thegovernment that competence has beenestablished and is being maintained.

Continual improvementANSI’s accreditation programs are driven bya process of continual improvement andresponsiveness to evolving user needs.Periodic assessment and on-site evaluationsverify conformance to program criteria.These regular evaluations help to ensure thatan organization is competent to perform thetests, review the results, conduct evaluationsand make decisions on certification.

SAFE QUALITY FOOD

Consumer confidence insafe quality food and theintegrity of the food supply

chain is enhanced by the partnership betweenANSI and the Food Marketing Institute. ANSIprovides an accreditation service for FMI’sSafe Quality Food Initiative certificationprogram (www.sqfi.com).

TELECOMMUNICATIONSAND RADIO EQUIPMENT

The U.S. federal governmentrelies on ANSI to accredit

Telecommunications Certification Bodies undera Federal Communications Commissionprogram that enforces rules for themanufacturers of telecommunications andradio communication equipment used in theU.S. and abroad.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

At the request of theSustainable Forestry Board,ANSI administers an

accreditation service for certification bodiesoperating under the Sustainable ForestryInitiative Chain of Custody (SFI CoC) and/orthe PEFC Chain of Custody (PEFC CoC)programs. These initiatives positively impact arange of forest-based products and theirmovement from the forest to the end user.

ANSI-Accredited Product Certification ProgramsScopes of Certification Activities

� Appliances� Automotive lifting

devices� BIFMA - sustainable

furniture� Bottled water and

packaged ice� Building products� Building and

institutional furniture� Class II biohazard

cabinetry� Drinking water additives� Drinking water

treatment units� Electric appliances and

accessories� Electrical products� Electronic health

records� EPA Energy Star� EPA WaterSense� Fenestration products� Food service

equipment� Food safety� Gas appliances and

accessories

� Gas and oil products� Manufactured products� Recreational vehicle

plumbing products� Marine products� Personal protective

and safety equipment� Plastic piping systems

and components� Plumbing products� Recreational and

occupational healthand safety/Personalprotective clothing

� Sanitation products� Sealed insulating

glass� Solar energy� Sustainable forestry� Swimming pools, spas

and components� Telecommunications

and radio equipment� Treated wood� Wastewater treatment

units� Windows and doors� Wood products

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