(a) Component part testing allowed. Any party, including a component part manufacturer, a component part supplier, a component part certifier, or a finished product certifier, may procure component part testing as long as it complies with the requirements in this section, and with the requirements of subparts B and C of this part, if applicable in the circumstanced identified in subparts B and C. A finished product certifier may certify compliance of a consumer product with all applicable rules, bans, standards, and regulations as required by section 14(a) of the CPSA, and may ensure continued compliance of children's products pursuant to section 14(i) of the CPSA, based, in whole or in part, on passing component part test reports or certification of one or more component parts of a consumer product if the following requirements are met:

(1) Testing of the component part is required or sufficient to assess compliance, in whole or in part, of the consumer product with the applicable rule, ban, standard, or regulation. Any doubts about whether testing one or more component parts of a consumer product is sufficient to assess whether the finished product complies with applicable rules, bans, standards, and regulations should be resolved in favor of testing the finished product; and

(2) The component part tested is identical in all material respects to the component parts used in the finished consumer product. To be identical in all material respects to a component part for purposes of supporting a certification of a children's product, a sample need not necessarily be of the same size, shape, or finish condition as the component part of the finished product; rather, it may consist of any quantity that is sufficient for testing purposes and be in any form that has the same content as the component part of the finished product.

(b) Test Result Integrity. A certifier or testing party must exercise due care to ensure that while a component part or finished product is in its custody:

(1) Proper management and control of all raw materials, component parts, subassemblies, and finished products is established and maintained for any factor that could affect the finished product's compliance with all applicable rules;

(2) The manufacturing process does not add or result in a prohibited level of a chemical from any source, such as the material hopper, regrind equipment, or other equipment used in the assembly of the finished product; and

(3) No action or inaction subsequent to testing and before distribution in commerce has occurred that would affect compliance, including contamination or degradation.

(c) Limitation. A certifier must not use tests of a component part of a consumer product for any rule, ban, standard, or regulation that requires testing the finished product to assess compliance with that rule, ban, standard, or regulation.

(d) Test method and sampling protocol. Each certifier and testing party must exercise due care to ensure that when it procures a test for use in meeting the requirements of sections 14(a) or 14(i) of the CPSA:

(1) All testing is done using required test methods, if any;

(2) Required sampling protocols are followed, if any; and

(3) Testing and certification follows the applicable requirements in sections 14(a) and 14(i) of the CPSA, and part 1107 of this chapter or any more specific rules, bans, standards, or regulations, used to assess compliance of the component part or finished product.

(e) Timing. Subject to any more specific rule, ban, standard, or regulation, component part testing may occur before final assembly of a consumer product, provided that nothing in the final assembly of the consumer product can cause the component part or the final consumer product to become noncompliant.

(f) Traceability. A certifier must not rely on component part or finished product testing procured by a testing party or another certifier unless such component parts or finished products are traceable.

(g) Documentation by certifiers and testing parties. Each certifier and testing party must provide the following documentation, either in hard copy or electronically, to a certifier relying on such documentation as a basis for issuing a certificate:

(1) Identification of the component part or the finished product tested;

(2) Identification of a lot or batch number, or other information sufficient to identify the component parts or finished products to which the testing applies;

(3) Identification of the applicable rules, bans, standards, and regulations for which each component part or finished product was tested;

(4) Identification of the testing method(s) and sampling protocol(s) used;

(5) The date or date range when the component part or finished product was tested;

(6) Test reports that provide the results of each test on a component part or finished product, and the test values, if any;

(7) Identification of the party that conducted each test (including testing conducted by a manufacturer, testing laboratory, or third party conformity assessment body), and an attestation by the party conducting the testing that all testing of a component part or finished product by that party was performed in compliance with applicable provisions of section 14 of the CPSA, part 1107 of this chapter, or any more specific rules, bans, standards, or regulations;

(8) Component part certificate(s) or finished product certificate(s), if any;

(9) Records to support traceability as defined in § 1109.4(m); and

(10) An attestation by each certifier and testing party that while the component part or finished product was in its custody, it exercised due care to ensure compliance with the requirements set forth in subparagraph (b) of this section.

(h) Effect of voluntary certification. (1) The Commission will consider any certificate issued by a component part certifier in accordance with this part to be a certificate issued in accordance with section 14(a) of the CPSA. All certificates must contain all of the information required by part 1110 of this chapter.

(2) Any party who elects to certify compliance of a component part or a finished product with applicable rules, standards, bans, or regulations, must assume all responsibilities of a manufacturer under sections 14(a) and 14(i) of the CPSA and part 1107 of this chapter with respect to that component part or finished product's compliance to the applicable rules, standards, bans, or regulations.

(i) Certification by finished product certifiers. (1) A finished product certifier must exercise due care in order to rely, in whole or in part, on one or more of the following as a basis for issuing a finished product certificate:

(i) Finished product certificate(s) issued by another party;

(ii) Finished product test report(s) provided by another party;

(iii) Component part certificate(s); or

(iv) Component part test report(s).

(2) If a finished product certifier fails to exercise due care in its reliance on another party's certifications or test reports, then the Commission will not consider the finished product certifier to hold a certificate issued in accordance with section 14(a) of the CPSA. Exercising due care in this context means taking the steps that a prudent and competent person in the same line of business would take to conduct a reasonable review of another party's certification or test reports, and to address any concern over their validity, before relying on such documents to issue a finished product certificate. Due care does not permit willful ignorance. Such steps may vary according to the circumstances.

(3) A finished product certifier must not rely on another party's certifications or test reports unless the finished product certifier receives the documentation under paragraph (g) of this section from the certifier or testing party. The finished product certifier may receive such documentation either in hard copy or electronically, or access the documentation through an Internet Web site. The Commission may consider a finished product certifier who does not obtain such documentation before certifying a consumer product to have failed to exercise due care.

(j) Recordkeeping requirements. Each certifier or testing party must maintain the documentation required in paragraph (g) of this section for five years, and must make such documentation available for inspection by the CPSC upon request, either in hard copy or electronically, such as through an Internet Web site. Records may be maintained in languages other than English if they can be:

(1) Provided immediately by the certifier or testing party to the CPSC; and

(2) Translated accurately into English by the certifier or testing party within 48 hours of a request by the CPSC or any longer period negotiated with CPSC staff.