There was nothing standard (get it?) about last night’s American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 2019 Leadership and Service Awards, held in conjunction with World Standards Week 2019 in Washington, DC. A joint team of three product safety agencies in Canada, the United States, and Mexico were among the recipients recognized for their significant contributions to national and international standardization activities, as well as an ongoing commitment to their industry, their nation, and the enhancement of the global voluntary consensus standards system.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada, and Mexico’s Consumer Protection Federal Agency, Procuraduría Federal Del Consumidor (PROFECO), developed first-of-its kinds consensus recommendations for testing the safety of alternating current (AC) chargers and universal serial bus (USB) chargers – determining the risk of fire and burn hazards in small electronic devices. The consensus approach used by the organizations was the first example of a joint consumer project safety standard recommendation developed among multiple governments that are not members of a single administrative region. Breaking new ground and providing a template for future initiatives, this collaboration demonstrated that multiple jurisdictions can develop consensus recommendations to improve voluntary safety standards with the combined contributions of their data and experience. The following individuals contributed to this important effort:
- CPSC Tilven Bernal, Randy Butturini, Robert Garrett, and Einstein Miller
- Health Canada Eric Bergevin, Stephen Drew, Tyler Goodier, Richard Hart, Franco LaRiccia, and Martina Vorel
- PROFECO Agustin Adame, Carlos Cardenas, and Adriana Ruiz
The work of each of these individuals coordinating product hazards is important to most North Americans’ daily lives. AC chargers are typically used to power portable personal computers, and USB chargers are what power smart phones, e-readers, tablets, and countless other devices. Our personal and professional worlds could not exist without these. We know the results of the team’s efforts are already keeping us safer and will result in fewer fires and burns.
Carol Ann Weichel, Counsellor for Science and Technology at the Embassy of Canada, accepted the award at the ANSI Leadership and Service Awards Ceremony and Dinner on behalf of Health Canada.
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