Review of the experience of product conformity assessment organizations in Canada

Abstract

A review of the international practice of conformity assessment and accreditation organizations allows us to study current trends in this area and use best practices to improve the Russian system for assessing the conformity of products used in the system of main pipeline transportation of oil and petroleum products. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the current experience of conformity assessment and accreditation organizations in Canada. The features of the national system conformity assessment have been analyzed. It was noted that it has a centralized nature, while the federal nonprofit organization – Standards Council of Canada, which has significant authority in the country and is recognized abroad, has the exclusive authority for accreditation. Structure and features of the work of the leading organizations of the system conformity assessment in Canada have been reviewed: Standards Council, Canadian Standards Association, Underwriters Laboratories of Canada, and QPS. It was concluded that that Canada has created a unified State system of conformity assessment, based on both international and national standards, as well as on the documents of certification organizations.