New applicants for CPSC acceptance of accreditation to 16 CFR part 1303 will have the option to apply to the CPSC without reference to a specific test method or to apply for CPSC acceptance to include a specific reference to “16 CFR part 1303 (CPSC-CH-E1003-09 and/or CPSC-CH-E1003-09.1)” and/or “16 CFR part 1303 (ASTM F2853-10)” for up to one year after publication of this notice in the Federal Register (The one year period ends April 5, 2012). After April 5, 2012, the option to apply for acceptance of accreditation to 16 CFR part 1303 without reference to a CPSC required test method will not be permitted.
CPSC-accepted third party conformity assessment bodies for 16 CFR part 1303 without a reference to one of the specified test methods have up to two years from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register (up to April 5, 2013) to reapply and become accepted by the CPSC for “16 CFR part 1303 (CPSC-CH-E1003-09 and/or CPSC-CH-E1003-09.1)” and/or “16 CFR part 1303 (ASTM F2853-10)”. To maintain CPSC-accepted status, third party conformity assessment bodies that are CPSC-accepted for 16 CFR part 1303 without reference to one of the required test methods must reapply with, and be accepted by, the CPSC by April 5, 2013, irrespective of whether the scope document from their accreditation body that was supplied with their earlier CPSC application included a reference to one of the required test methods. Previously CPSC-accepted third party conformity assessment bodies for 16 CFR part 1303 (including those that had one of the specified test methods in their accreditation scope document that was supplied with their earlier CPSC application) must reapply to maintain CPSC acceptance because the CPSC did not record references to test methods. If accepted, the third party conformity assessment body will remain on the list of accepted third party conformity bodies whose accreditations the CPSC has accepted for 16 CFR part 1303.
After April 5, 2012, the option to apply for acceptance of accreditation to 16 CFR part 1303 without reference to a CPSC required test method will not be permitted.