The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine held a press conference to brief on the revision of the Measures for the Administration of Certification Bodies and other related matters.

On the afternoon of May 26, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine held a regular press conference. Li Jing, spokesperson of the General Administration and director of the News Office, released information on five aspects: the revision of the Measures for the Administration of Certification Bodies, the quality and safety of imported children's products, the launch of quality improvement actions for 10 categories of key products including children's products, the release of the national standard Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products for Infants and Children, and quality and safety risk warnings for five categories of children's products including power adapters for electric toys. The following are the specific contents released:
I. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine revised the Measures for the Administration of Certification Bodies.
In order to further streamline administration, delegate power, transform government functions, and improve the administrative approval procedures for certification bodies, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China have recently implemented a series of reform measures targeting the access approval and supervision and administration of certification bodies, and have revised the Measures for the Administration of Certification Bodies. The main revisions are reflected in the following four aspects:
First, some administrative approval and filing matters were cancelled, and management methods were adjusted. First, the administrative approval for certification bodies to establish branches was cancelled and adjusted to reporting relevant information to the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China or local certification supervision departments; second, the administrative approval for certification bodies to subcontract certification business to overseas certification bodies was cancelled and adjusted to post-event filing management; third, the filing for certification bodies to establish offices and for overseas certification bodies to establish representative offices in China was cancelled and adjusted to reporting relevant information to the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China or local certification supervision departments.
Second, the approval conditions for certification bodies were relaxed. First, in conjunction with commercial system reform, the approval for the establishment of certification bodies was changed from “certificate first, then license” to “license first, then certificate.” Any legal person established according to law and able to bear corresponding legal liability may apply to establish a certification body after obtaining legal person status; second, the requirement that full-time certification personnel must have practicing qualifications and capabilities was cancelled; third, the requirement that Chinese joint venturers or cooperators for foreign investors establishing Sino-foreign equity or contractual joint venture certification bodies in China must be certification bodies approved by the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China with more than 3 years of certification experience, or inspection bodies or laboratories that have obtained qualification accreditation according to law, was cancelled; fourth, the requirement to provide feasibility study reports for new certification fields was cancelled; fifth, the requirement for investors to provide relevant credit standing certificates was cancelled; sixth, when certification bodies apply to expand their business scope, the restriction that the certification body must have been in operation for more than 1 year and have no illegal or non-compliant conduct within 1 year was cancelled.
Third, the term of license was extended, licensing procedures were simplified, and licensing time was shortened. First, the validity period of the original Approval Certificate for Certification Bodies was extended from 4 years to 6 years; second, the time limit for making an approval decision after accepting an application for the establishment of a certification body was shortened from 90 days to 45 days; third, where a certification body needs to renew its approval, the deadline was changed from 90 days before the expiration of the validity period of the Approval Certificate for Certification Bodies to 30 days before expiration, and the renewal approval review was changed to a written review; fourth, the expert review stage in licensing was changed from a mandatory stage to an optional stage.
Fourth, the practice norms for certification bodies were strengthened, and ongoing and post-event supervision was reinforced. For cancelled administrative approvals and filings, in accordance with the principle of combining “delegation,” “management,” and “governance,” some necessary ongoing and post-event supervision measures were correspondingly added. First, where administrative approval items were cancelled, post-event informational filing was implemented. Where filing was not made, corresponding administrative penalties were added; second, where filing items were cancelled, information reporting was implemented. Where information was not reported, corresponding administrative penalties were added; third, an information disclosure system for annual reports and social responsibility reports of certification bodies was added to enhance the self-discipline awareness of certification bodies and accept social supervision.
II. Relevant information on the quality and safety of imported children's products.
In recent years, China's consumption of imported children's products has grown rapidly, and brands have become increasingly diverse. The quality and safety of children's products concern children's personal safety and health and have attracted much consumer attention. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has always been committed to strictly controlling the quality of imported consumer goods and preventing non-compliant imported consumer goods from entering the domestic market, so as to protect the rights and interests of domestic consumers, especially the health and safety of children. From January to May 2015, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine compiled statistics on imported children's products such as children's clothing, toys, infant diapers, food contact products for children, and child car safety seats. As International Children's Day is approaching, I will report the relevant situation as follows:
From January to May 2015, entry-exit inspection and quarantine institutions nationwide detected a total of 5,778 non-compliant batches of imported children's products, a year-on-year increase of 103%, involving a value of USD 123.8 million. Among them, 134 batches were non-compliant in quality and safety, a year-on-year decrease of 18.7%. Among the non-compliant items, packaging and labeling non-compliance accounted for a relatively large proportion. Among them:
Imported children's clothing. A total of 2,288 non-compliant batches of imported infant and children's clothing were detected, of which 107 batches were non-compliant in quality and safety, a year-on-year decrease of 13.7%. The main non-compliant items were formaldehyde content, pH value, color fastness, and fiber composition inconsistent with labeling. Infant and children's clothing produced in Bangladesh had the most serious quality problems, ranking first for two consecutive years in the number of detected batches of non-compliant imported children's clothing in China, followed by children's clothing produced in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other countries or regions. For children's clothing that was non-compliant in quality and safety, entry-exit inspection and quarantine institutions have all implemented return or destruction treatment.
Imported toys. A total of 96 non-compliant batches of imported children's toys were detected, a year-on-year increase of 95%, with a value of USD 2.594 million. Among them, 8 batches were non-compliant in quality and safety, a year-on-year decrease of 65.2%. The main non-compliant items were: mechanical safety non-compliance of plush toys, stability test non-compliance of dolls, non-compliant average thickness of plastic bags used for toy packaging, lack of 3C marking, and non-compliant warning instructions. Brands involved included HENES, MAMMUT, MUJI, LEGO, and others. The non-compliant children's toys involved came from South Korea, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong, and other places.
Imported infant diapers (pads). A total of 3,135 non-compliant batches of imported infant diapers (pads) were detected, a year-on-year increase of 228.9%, with a value of USD 110 million. The main non-compliant item was product labeling not meeting requirements. For products with non-compliant labeling, inspection and quarantine institutions supervised importing enterprises in carrying out technical rectification in accordance with the requirements of China's laws and regulations, so as to meet China's relevant requirements.
Imported food contact products for children. A total of 223 non-compliant batches of imported food contact products for children were detected, 16 times that of the same period last year, involving a value of USD 5.21 million. Among them, 18 batches were non-compliant in quality and safety items, and the rest were non-compliant in product and packaging labeling. The non-compliant products mainly included water cups, wooden children's chopstick sets, plastic molding molds, children's tableware, children's teethers, glass baby bottles, children's training chopsticks, and others. The main non-compliant items were decolorization, potassium permanganate consumption, evaporation residue, and residual acrylonitrile monomer, among others. Brands involved included BEABA, lifefactory, TRAMONTINA, munchkin, BEBECONFORT, and others, mainly from France, Vietnam, Brazil, the United States, and other places.
Imported child car safety seats. A total of 28 non-compliant batches of imported child car safety seats were detected, with a value of USD 3.862 million. Among them, 1 batch was non-compliant in quality and safety and has been returned; the rest were non-compliant in product and packaging labeling.
In response to the above-mentioned problematic children's products, inspection and quarantine institutions, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Law on Import and Export Commodity Inspection and its implementing regulations, implemented destruction, return, and technical treatment, strictly preventing non-compliant children's products from entering the domestic market.
Children's products are related to children's physical health. To create a market environment conducive to the healthy growth of children and adolescents, it is necessary not only for inspection and quarantine departments to strengthen quality and safety controls, but also for consumers to enhance their quality and safety awareness, deepen their understanding of knowledge related to children's products, and consume scientifically and rationally.
To this end, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine reminds consumers to pay attention to the following points when purchasing children's products: 1. When purchasing toys and strollers, the products should bear the “CCC” certification mark. Do not purchase toys with small parts that may be swallowed or inhaled, or toys with sharp points or rough edges. When using them, pay attention to age grouping and warning instructions. 2. When purchasing children's clothing, check whether buttons and small decorative items are firmly attached, avoid purchasing infant clothing containing coated prints or many small parts, and have infants wear them only after careful washing. 3. When purchasing infant diapers, choose products with complete packaging, a clean appearance, clear labeling, and no peculiar smell. 4. When purchasing food contact products for children, pay attention to the Chinese instructions for use, including product name and material, and try to avoid products with bright colors. 5. When purchasing child car safety seats, choose the seat group suitable for the child's weight and age, and install the seat correctly in strict accordance with the manual.
III. Relevant information on the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine's launch of quality improvement actions for 10 categories of key products including children's products.
Recently, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued the Action Plan for Quality Improvement of 10 Categories of Key Products Including Children's Products (hereinafter referred to as the Plan), guided by promoting product quality improvement, industrial structure adjustment, and transformation of the economic development model, closely focusing on the quality and safety needs of key products, key enterprises, and key regions, and through vertical and horizontal coordination and internal and external cooperation, driving all industries to focus on quality, promoting quality improvement through comprehensive rectification, and promoting transformation and upgrading through quality improvement.
The 10 categories of key products targeted by this quality improvement action are: children's products, decorative and renovation materials, water-saving products, kitchen utensils, textiles and apparel, automotive gasoline and diesel, wires and cables, compound fertilizers, building waterproofing membranes, and food packaging materials.
According to the deployment of the Plan, through carrying out quality improvement actions for 10 categories of key products, five objectives are to be achieved. First, “solve problems”: deeply analyze the causes and crux constraining product quality improvement, guide production enterprises to strengthen and improve quality management systems, and enhance quality assurance capabilities. Second, “strengthen supervision”: increase the intensity of product quality and safety supervision and inspection, severely crack down on quality violations, strictly handle follow-up matters for enterprises with non-compliant product quality, and urge enterprises to fulfill their main responsibilities. Third, “demonstration-driven promotion”: vigorously promote the construction of quality improvement demonstration projects (zones), and cultivate a number of demonstration projects (zones) with driving and leading effects. Fourth, “form synergy”: strengthen external coordination and internal collaboration, promote local governments to play a leading role, join forces with relevant departments, and accelerate the construction of a trinity pattern of product quality improvement featuring “delegation, management, and governance.” Fifth, through the quality improvement of one product after another, significantly raise the pass rate of national supervisory spot checks on the quality of key products, stabilizing it above 90% in 2015.
IV. Release of the Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products for Infants and Children.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China today approved and released the mandatory national standard GB 31701-2015 Safety Technical Specifications for Textile Products for Infants and Children. This is China's first mandatory national standard specifically for textile products for infants and children (children's clothing). This standard comprehensively regulates the safety performance of children's clothing, will help guide production enterprises to improve the safety and quality of children's clothing, and protect the health and safety of infants and children. The standard will be officially implemented on June 1, 2016.
In view of the particularity of infants and children as a group, this standard, on the basis of the original textile safety standards, further raises various safety requirements for textile products for infants and children, comprehensively upgrading safety requirements. In terms of chemical safety requirements, the standard adds limit requirements for 6 types of plasticizers and 2 heavy metals, lead and cadmium. In terms of mechanical safety, the standard sets detailed provisions for cords and straps at different parts of children's clothing such as the head and neck, shoulders, and waist, requiring that there be no cords or straps at all on the head and neck area of clothing for infants and children under 7 years old; at the same time, the standard also sets provisions for textile attachments, requiring that attachments have a certain tensile strength and that there be no sharp points or edges. In addition, the standard also adds flammability performance requirements.
According to different ages, the standard divides children's clothing into two categories: textile products suitable for infants and young children aged 36 months and below are infant textile products, and textile products suitable for children aged above 3 years and 14 years and below are children's textile products.
According to different safety requirements, the standard divides the safety technical categories of children's clothing into A, B, and C, with A being the best, B next, and C being the basic requirement. It also requires that infant textile products meet Category A requirements, children's textile products in direct contact with the skin meet at least Category B requirements, and children's textile products not in direct contact with the skin meet at least Category C requirements. The standard also requires that children's clothing indicate the safety category in the instructions for use, and infant textile products should also be marked with “infant products.” In the future, when consumers purchase children's clothing, they can use the safety category indicated in the instructions for use as a reference.
V. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued quality and safety risk warnings for five categories of children's products including power adapters for electric toys.
Recently, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine organized the implementation of quality and safety risk monitoring for five categories of children's products, including toy scooters, baby walkers, sound-producing toys, spinning toys, and modeling clay. After expert review, it was found that these products have varying degrees of quality and safety risks.
Among them, a total of 48 batches of toy scooter samples were monitored, and 46 batches were found to have certain problems in mechanical and physical performance, mainly manifested in gaps in moving parts similar to the width of infants' fingers, round holes similar in size to the width of infants' fingers with sharp edges, grips prone to pulling off or handle ends with excessively small diameters, inner packaging plastic bags too thin and not perforated as required, and unreasonable gaps in the handlebar stem and handlebar crossbar during adjustment or folding, among others, which may lead to skin scratches, suffocation, finger pinching or necrosis, falls and injuries, and other harm. In addition, all 48 batches of samples had missing product labeling or warning information.
A total of 20 batches of baby walker samples were monitored, and 19 batches were found during testing to have the entire walker detach from the test platform and roll down stairs. These products may pose a rollover hazard when used in environments around steps.
A total of 125 batches of sound-producing toy samples were monitored, and 27 batches were found to have high sound pressure test values. If children are exposed for a long time to a continuous high-decibel sound environment, or receive a sudden burst of high-decibel pulse sound, it can cause hearing damage.
A total of 77 batches of spinning toy samples were monitored, and 31 batches were found to have quality and safety risks. The main problem was that parts fell off or small fragments were produced during drop or impact tests, which can easily scratch the skin or injure the eyes.
A total of 100 batches of modeling clay samples were monitored, and 63 batches were found to have high levels of harmful substances such as migratable metal elements, preservatives, aromatic amines, or total volatile organic compounds. If children come into contact with these products for a long time, harmful substances may migrate into children's bodies through the respiratory tract, skin, oral cavity, and other routes, causing allergic reactions or damage to the nervous system and organs.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine reminds consumers to pay attention to preventing related risks when purchasing and using these products. Specific risk warnings are available on the portal website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.Artikel berasal dariFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/ms/11533/