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U.S. Customs and Border Protection Announces New Importer Self-Assessment Product Safety Pilot U.S. Customs and |
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WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Nov. 5 -/E-Wire/-- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing the expansion of the Importer Self-Assessment Program (ISA) to include the Importer Self-Assessment-Product Safety Pilot (ISA-PS).
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The ISA-PS, a partnership that will be created between CBP, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and importers, will strive to maintain a high level of product safety compliance, and to achieve the goals of the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety by working collaboratively to prevent unsafe imports.
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Participation in the ISA-PS is voluntary, and as of October 29th, 2008 has been open to applications from qualified importers who are participants in the ISA.
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ISA-PS Participation Requirements:
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In order to participate in ISA-PS, an importer must:
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. Be an active member in ISA and comply with all ISA requirements and obligations.
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. Complete an ISA-PS/CPSC Questionnaire and sign an ISA-PS/CPSC Addendum.
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. Agree to comply with all laws and regulations administered by CBP, as well as the CPSC including, but not limited to: Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, the Refrigerator Safety Act, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, and the Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act of 2008. . Maintain an internal control system that ensures the integrity of product safety.
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. Notify CBP of any major organizational changes that may impact the importer's product safety controls.
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. Submit an annual written notification to CBP that sets forth the importer's ISA-PS point of contact and acknowledges that the importer continues to meet the requirements of ISA-PS.
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ISA-PS Potential Benefits:
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In addition to the benefits received as a participant of ISA, once accepted into the ISA-PS, the participant also becomes eligible for the following benefits:
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. CPSC will provide the participant with a product-specific CPSC point of contact who can assist in providing National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) Product Codes for entry lines.
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. CPSC will provide access to the participant with special training concerning product safety compliance, internal controls, and CPSC audit trails.
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. CPSC will allow the participant the opportunity to apply for external participation coverage of multiple business units (multiple IOR numbers) identified in the ISA-PS/CPSC Addendum.
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. CPSC will consider expansion of benefits to all products of approved participants if the entry line(s) contains all the applicable NEISS product code(s0.
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. CPSC will reduce product safety tests on goods imported by ISA-PS participants.
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. CPSC laboratories will grant priority "front of the line testing" to ISA-PS participants when product safety testing is conducted.
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. CPSC may allow products to be destroyed by the ISA-PS participant in lieu of requesting redelivery to CBP of the product.
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. CPSC will acknowledge the participant of ISA-PS in CPSC's "Fast-Track Product Recall Program."
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Additional benefits tailored to specific industry needs may later become available. The ISA-PS participant will also enjoy greater business certainty because a reliable system of internal controls ensures compliant product safety transactions.
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Please contact your local Delmar or TradeAid USA compliance expert for further information on this or any other compliance related initiative.
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