Title 16

SECTION 1212.12

1212.12 Certificate of compliance.

§ 1212.12 Certificate of compliance.

(a) General requirements - (1) Manufacturers (including importers). Manufacturers of any multi-purpose lighter subject to the standard must issue the certificate of compliance required by section 14(a) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2063(a), and this subpart B, based on a reasonable testing program or a test of each product, as required by §§ 1212.13, 1212.14, and 1212.16. Manufacturers must also label each multi-purpose lighter subject to the standard as required by paragraph (c) of this section and keep the records and make the reports required by §§ 1212.15 and 1212.17. For purposes of this requirement, an importer of multi-purpose lighters shall be considered the “manufacturer.”

(2) Private labelers. Because private labelers necessarily obtain their products from a manufacturer or importer that is already required to issue the certificate, private labelers are not required to issue a certificate. However, private labelers must ensure that the multi-purpose lighters are labeled in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section and that any certificate of compliance that is supplied with each shipping unit of multi-purpose lighters in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section is supplied to any distributor or retailer who receives the product from the private labeler.

(3) Testing on behalf of importers. (i) If the required testing has been performed by or for a foreign manufacturer of a product, an importer may rely on such tests to support the certificate of compliance, provided that:

(A) The importer is a resident of the United States or has a resident agent in the United States and

(B) The records are in English and the records and the surrogate multi-purpose lighters tested are kept in the United States and can be provided to the Commission within 48 hours (§ 1212.17(a)) or, in the case of production records, can be provided to the Commission within 7 calendar days in accordance with § 1212.17(a)(3).

(ii) The importer is responsible for ensuring that:

(A) The foreign manufacturer's records show that all testing used to support the certificate of compliance has been performed properly (§§ 1212.14-1212.16),

(B) The records provide a reasonable assurance that all multi-purpose lighters imported comply with the standard (§ 1212.13(b)(1)),

(D) The importer knows where the required records and multi-purpose lighters are located and that records required to be located in the United States are located there,

(E) Arrangements have been made so that any records required to be kept in the United States will be provided to the Commission within 48 hours of a request and any records not kept in the United States will be provided to the Commission within 7 calendar days (§ 1212.17(a)), and

(F) The information required by § 1212.17(b) to be provided to the Commission's Office of Compliance has been provided.

(b) Certificate of compliance. A certificate of compliance must accompany each shipping unit of the product (for example, a case), or otherwise be furnished to any distributor or retailer to whom the product is sold or delivered by the manufacturer, private labeler, or importer. The certificate shall state:

(1) That the product “complies with the Consumer Product Safety Standard for Multi-purpose lighters (16 CFR part 1212)”,

(2) The name and address of the manufacturer or importer issuing the certificate or of the private labeler, and

(3) The date(s) of manufacture and, if different from the address in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the address of the place of manufacture.

(c) Labeling. The manufacturer or importer must label each multi-purpose lighter with the following information, which may be in code.

(1) An identification of the period of time, not to exceed 31 days, during which the multi-purpose lighter was manufactured.

(2) An identification of the manufacturer of the multi-purpose lighter, unless the multi-purpose lighter bears a private label. If the multi-purpose lighter bears a private label, it shall bear a code mark or other label that will permit the seller of the multi-purpose lighter to identify the manufacturer to the purchaser upon request.