CSA International
Encyclopedia
CSA International a member of the CSA Group, is a provider of product testing and certification
services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in the U.S., Canada and around the world, CSA’s marks appear on billions of products worldwide.
CSA International certification marks indicate that a product, process or service has been tested to a Canadian or U.S. standard and it meets the requirements of an applicable CSA standard or another recognized document used as a basis for certification.
For consumers, CSA International certification marks are intended to provide increased assurance of quality and safety. For manufacturers, international recognition of the mark may help to ease their entry into North American markets. CSA International certification marks are accepted by many North American regulators and by a large number of North American retailers. Billions of products bearing CSA International certification marks are found on the shelves of well-known retail chains and sold by major product distributors.
CSA International tests products for the North American and International markets against applicable standards including those of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters Laboratories
(UL), National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) and other agencies.
CSA International is accredited by national agencies including:
CSA International offices and laboratories, located across North America, and in Asia, India and Europe, are all equipped to provide testing and certification services. CSA International also helps manufacturers access other markets with testing and certification programs available for Europe and China.
CSA International is a division of CSA Group, which also includes: CSA, a developer of standards and codes, and OnSpeX for consumer product evaluation services.
Prior to CSA International, product testing and certification services were provided by the laboratories of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which was originally founded in 1919 as the Canadian Engineering Standards Association (CESA).
When a nationwide approach to certification of electrical products was called for in 1940, CESA assumed the responsibility for testing and certifying electrical products intended for sale and installation in Canada. To better reflect the breadth of CESA’s activity, it officially became the Canadian Standards Association
(CSA) in 1944. Shortly thereafter, in 1946, the CSA Certification Mark was officially registered.
As World War II ended, Canada experienced a housing boom and CSA was called on to develop additional independent third-party testing and certification programs for areas such as gas and plumbing. To meet the increased demand, in 1954, CSA officially opened its fully equipped laboratories on Rexdale Boulevard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today CSA International has laboratories across Canada, the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and works closely with approximately 15,000 companies in more than 60 countries.
CSA International certifies products in the following categories:
Gas Equipment: Food Processing and Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning, Commercial and Industrial Water Heaters and Boilers, Incineration, Accessories, Laundry Equipment, Portable Camping Equipment, Vehicle Fuel Systems and Industrial Engines, Gas/Propane Installation Codes, Fuel Cell
s
Construction Products and Materials: Building Materials and Masonry, Offshore Structures, Concrete, Welding, Forest Products, Plumbing Products and Materials, Industrialized Building Construction, Structures (Design)
Life Sciences: Health Care
Technology, Public Safety
, Occupational safety and health
Electrical and Electronics: Canadian Electrical Code - Parts I, II and III, Wiring, Industrial, Consumer and Commercial Products, Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetic Compatibility
Communications: Telecommunications/Information Technology
, Electromagnetic Compatibility
Energy: Performance, Renewable Energy
and Efficiency, Energy Conservation in Housing, Fire Safety
and Fuel Burning Equipment, Nuclear Facility and Reactor Components, Oil and Gas Industry Systems and Materials
Only when a product has been certified to an applicable standard is it entitled to bear the appropriate CSA International Certification mark. Certification marks appear on product packaging and on, or adhered to, the product itself, depending on the individual requirements of each applicable standard.
Regulatory authorities in many occupational health and safety, electrical, gas, building, plumbing, and other fields in the U.S. and Canada, accept CSA International Certification marks. Products with CSA International Certification marks are accepted by many major retailers, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers and regulators throughout the U.S. and in export markets around the world.
In the U.S., CSA International is accredited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).
OSHA accredited laboratories are certified to conduct tests against the same sets of U.S. standards and codes, regardless of who authors or publishes them. For example, CSA International tests to applicable U.S. standards, including ANSI, UL, CSA, NSF, and others.
CSA International is also accredited in the international CB Scheme for testing to IEC standards and can help obtain the CE marking in Europe.
CSA International Marks for the US
Marks for products certified for use in Canada.
CSA International Marks for Canada
, the Netherlands • Bangalore
, India • Mumbai
, India • Hong Kong
, China • Guangzhou
, China • Shanghai
, China • Seoul
, Republic of Korea • Tokyo
, Japan
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products. Recognized in the U.S., Canada and around the world, CSA’s marks appear on billions of products worldwide.
CSA International certification marks indicate that a product, process or service has been tested to a Canadian or U.S. standard and it meets the requirements of an applicable CSA standard or another recognized document used as a basis for certification.
For consumers, CSA International certification marks are intended to provide increased assurance of quality and safety. For manufacturers, international recognition of the mark may help to ease their entry into North American markets. CSA International certification marks are accepted by many North American regulators and by a large number of North American retailers. Billions of products bearing CSA International certification marks are found on the shelves of well-known retail chains and sold by major product distributors.
CSA International tests products for the North American and International markets against applicable standards including those of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
(UL), National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), American National Standards Institute
American National Standards Institute
The American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
(ANSI) and other agencies.
CSA International is accredited by national agencies including:
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) – Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory
- American National Standards InstituteAmerican National Standards InstituteThe American National Standards Institute is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also coordinates U.S. standards with international...
(ANSI), - National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation ProgramNational Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation ProgramNational Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program is a National Institute of Standards and Technology program which provides an unbiased third-party test and evaluation program to accredit laboratories in their respective fields to the ISO 17025 standard...
(NVLAP) - National Evaluation Service (NES)
- Standards Council of CanadaStandards Council of Canada- About the SCC :The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective voluntary standardization. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the Standards Council has a 15-member governing Council and a staff of approximately 90...
(SCC)
CSA International offices and laboratories, located across North America, and in Asia, India and Europe, are all equipped to provide testing and certification services. CSA International also helps manufacturers access other markets with testing and certification programs available for Europe and China.
CSA International is a division of CSA Group, which also includes: CSA, a developer of standards and codes, and OnSpeX for consumer product evaluation services.
History
CSA International was established as a provider of product testing and certification services in 1999.Prior to CSA International, product testing and certification services were provided by the laboratories of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which was originally founded in 1919 as the Canadian Engineering Standards Association (CESA).
When a nationwide approach to certification of electrical products was called for in 1940, CESA assumed the responsibility for testing and certifying electrical products intended for sale and installation in Canada. To better reflect the breadth of CESA’s activity, it officially became the Canadian Standards Association
Canadian Standards Association
The Canadian Standards Association, also known as the CSA, is a not-for-profit Standards organization with the stated aim of developing standards for use in 57 different areas of specialisation...
(CSA) in 1944. Shortly thereafter, in 1946, the CSA Certification Mark was officially registered.
As World War II ended, Canada experienced a housing boom and CSA was called on to develop additional independent third-party testing and certification programs for areas such as gas and plumbing. To meet the increased demand, in 1954, CSA officially opened its fully equipped laboratories on Rexdale Boulevard in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Today CSA International has laboratories across Canada, the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and works closely with approximately 15,000 companies in more than 60 countries.
About CSA International Certification
Certification is the process by which a facility, product, service or system becomes tested or inspected and certified in conformity with the applicable standard or other recognized document(s). Certification of a product is an ongoing process that involves follow up factory inspections and retail surveillance to ensure conformity.CSA International certifies products in the following categories:
Gas Equipment: Food Processing and Refrigeration, Heating and Air Conditioning, Commercial and Industrial Water Heaters and Boilers, Incineration, Accessories, Laundry Equipment, Portable Camping Equipment, Vehicle Fuel Systems and Industrial Engines, Gas/Propane Installation Codes, Fuel Cell
Fuel cell
A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...
s
Construction Products and Materials: Building Materials and Masonry, Offshore Structures, Concrete, Welding, Forest Products, Plumbing Products and Materials, Industrialized Building Construction, Structures (Design)
Life Sciences: Health Care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
Technology, Public Safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
, Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
Electrical and Electronics: Canadian Electrical Code - Parts I, II and III, Wiring, Industrial, Consumer and Commercial Products, Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetic Compatibility
Electromagnetic compatibility
Electromagnetic compatibility is the branch of electrical sciences which studies the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy with reference to the unwanted effects that such energy may induce...
Communications: Telecommunications/Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, Electromagnetic Compatibility
Energy: Performance, Renewable Energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and Efficiency, Energy Conservation in Housing, Fire Safety
Fire safety
Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a fire that may result in death, injury, or property damage, alert those in a structure to the presence of a fire in the event one occurs, better enable those threatened by a fire to survive, or to reduce the...
and Fuel Burning Equipment, Nuclear Facility and Reactor Components, Oil and Gas Industry Systems and Materials
About CSA International Certification Marks
The CSA mark indicates that a product, process or service has been tested to a Canadian or U.S. standard and meets the requirements of an applicable CSA standard or another recognized document used as a basis for certification. For consumers, the mark provides increased assurance of quality and safety. For manufacturers, international recognition of the mark helps to ease their entry into foreign markets.Only when a product has been certified to an applicable standard is it entitled to bear the appropriate CSA International Certification mark. Certification marks appear on product packaging and on, or adhered to, the product itself, depending on the individual requirements of each applicable standard.
Regulatory authorities in many occupational health and safety, electrical, gas, building, plumbing, and other fields in the U.S. and Canada, accept CSA International Certification marks. Products with CSA International Certification marks are accepted by many major retailers, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers and regulators throughout the U.S. and in export markets around the world.
Accreditation
In Canada CSA International is accredited as a Certification Organization (CO) and as a Testing Organization (TO) by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).In the U.S., CSA International is accredited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).
OSHA accredited laboratories are certified to conduct tests against the same sets of U.S. standards and codes, regardless of who authors or publishes them. For example, CSA International tests to applicable U.S. standards, including ANSI, UL, CSA, NSF, and others.
CSA International is also accredited in the international CB Scheme for testing to IEC standards and can help obtain the CE marking in Europe.
Product Approval
CSA International tests and certifies products to an applicable standard or standards but it does not approve products for sale. The appropriate federal, provincial or state regulatory agencies are responsible for regulating the sale of approved products in their respective jurisdictions. These regulatory authorities utilize the certification of a given product as a means to base their decisions for their approval for sale.Certification Marks
Marks for products certified for use in the U.S.CSA International Marks for the US
Marks for products certified for use in Canada.
CSA International Marks for Canada
Global Offices and Laboratories
Atlanta, GA • Charlotte, NC • Chicago, IL • Cleveland, OH • Dallas, TX • Los Angeles, CA • Nashville, TN • Edmonton, AB • Montreal, PQ • Toronto, ON • Vancouver, BC • ArnhemArnhem
Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, the Netherlands • Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India • Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India • Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, China • Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China • Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China • Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Republic of Korea • Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan