Ash Sahi, CSA Group

Since 1919, CSA Group has grown from a truly Canadian to a global organization with 1,800 employees in 15 different countries. Our global expansion has allowed us to help reach our vision of contributing to a better, safer and more sustainable world. For almost a century, we have been dedicated to developing standards, testing and certifying products to make them better, safer and more sustainable for consumers, businesses and society at large.

With more than 1,800 employees working in 37 offices in 15 countries, CSA Group offers comprehensive local and global service offerings and access to global markets. Our dedicated 8,400 voluntary expert committee members develop groundbreaking and innovative standards that impact safety and performance of various products. From an engineering standard for steel railway bridges back in 1919, CSA Group now maintains more than 3,000 standards, codes, related products and training. Many standards technical committee members are involved in developing international standards at the ISO, IEC and IECEE tables. We provide global testing and certification services across key business areas including hazardous locations and industrial products, medical, safety and technology, appliances and gas, lighting and wiring, alternative energy and sustainability, plumbing and construction, and transportation including automotive, rail, and consumer product evaluation services.

Standards development

CSA Group has recently strengthened our standards development by looking at ways we can help improve processes, be more innovative, and continue contributing to public safety and social good at national, regional and international levels. Technology is changing rapidly, and standards development needs to evolve to keep up.

To meet changing industry needs, CSA Group is also developing standards to deal with entire systems, such as lighting systems, rather than just a component. We are developing and adopting international standards, particularly in the promotion of energy efficiency and using harmonized standards to promote the development and trade of sustainable products around the globe. Some excellent examples of this are the Building Commissioning Standard, CAN/CSA-ISO 14004 on Environmental Management Systems and Medical Gas and Pipeline Systems.

We are proud to say that, in January 2015, the 23rd edition of the Canadian Electrical Code will be released. The first edition of the code was published more than 80 years ago, and CSA Group continues to play an integral part in the Canadian Electrical Safety System. The Canadian Electrical Code (CE Code, Part I) is a true example of national expertise, as it was developed over a three-year period by more than 300 committee members representing all aspects of the electrical sector, including a significant contribution by a number of EFC employees and members.

We are continuing to lead in the development of innovative standards in emerging areas such as nanotechnology, intelligent design, smart-grid applications, and sustainable energy and supporting infrastructure. Our standards address almost every aspect of daily life from the road you drive on and the building you work in to the stove you cook on and the coffee maker that provides the first cup of the day to medical devices, protective equipment for first responders, OH&S standards and many others.

We have also made changes to help make our publications more user-friendly. Our standards now come in an interactive format that allows users to access them through tablets and smart phones to quickly find the information they need, on the job, when they need it. We have launched an online forum, Communities of Interest, where people can ask questions, share information and get access to our CSA Group experts, and we provide relevant training programs in specialized areas.

Brand protection

CSA Group has a zero tolerance policy toward any unauthorized and illegal use of CSA trademarks, including all certification marks. Counterfeit products pose a risk to testing and certification organizations because they display a mark that offers assurances of safety and performance testing when none has been conducted. Part of helping to ensure safety is to make sure that we combat unauthorized use of CSA marks. To protect the integrity of our intellectual property, CSA Group conducts analysis of tips, conducts marketplace surveillance sweeps and educates the public, retailers and other stakeholders on the dangers of counterfeit products. To combat this, we have built alliances with the best legal and law-enforcement teams in Canada and around the world, to fight counterfeiting, and to protect Canadians from unsafe products. CSA Group along with such law enforcement officials as the RCMP, Interpol, U.S. customs and border protection, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is committed to exposing and punishing any party involved in the unauthorized and illegal use of our certification marks. We are working closely with ESA, Health Canada and a variety of regulators.

CSA Group has encouraged national legislative reform to strengthen laws that combat counterfeit products, and holds positions with the Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network and the Certification Industry Against Counterfeiting. We work with other members in these organizations to combat counterfeiting through engagement and relationship building with relevant associations and stakeholders, consumer safety campaigns, and by publicly posting anti-counterfeiting safety notices warning of products displaying counterfeit CSA marks.

Government relations

CSA Group works with governments across Canada and North America to help harmonize standards and encourage barrier-free trade. CSA Group is a strong supporter of the initiatives of the Canada-US Regulatory Cooperation Council, which promotes aligned regulation, standards and product certification between the two countries. We believe that developing new and harmonized standards is critical to keeping up with rapid advancements in technology and helping to ensure fewer obstacles to global trade.

We also created and facilitate the CSA Code and Policy Advisory Committee, which brings senior policy-level representatives together from the provinces and territories to discuss key cross-jurisdictional issues affecting those codes in Canada developed by CSA Group, such as the Canadian Electrical Code. This helps encourage harmonization of requirements on a national level.

CSA Group also works with the government to promote safer practices and the adoption of emerging technologies. Canada has recently seen a push toward infrastructure renewal and CSA Group has been an active participant in developing new standards and promoting discussion on important topics like rail safety, oil and gas pipelines, and new infrastructure to support sustainable transportation like hydrogen fueled vehicles.

Expansion in Canada

CSA Group has made considerable investments in our Canadian operations. We are expanding our hazardous locations testing facility in Edmonton specializing in testing and certification services for equipment used in oil and gas, mining, marine and fertilizer production. In addition, CSA Group is adding a lab in Edmonton capable of testing windows and doors to meet the changes in the updated National Building Code coming out in 2015. In Vancouver, we will shortly open a high pressure hydrogen testing facility to address growth in the demand for fuel cell electric vehicles. CSA Group has also begun major renovations to our laboratories in Toronto and Montreal.

CSA Group has a long history with Canada’s national sport – hockey – through standards and testing and certification for helmets. As Canadians become more involved in different sports, CSA Group is expanding its expertise to address new technologies and look into new ways to help keep people active and safer. Our lab in Montreal is growing and renovating to provide more testing and certification services for equipment in a variety of sports. We recently issued a new edition of our ski and snowboard helmet standard and will be testing and certifying helmets to this standard in our Montreal laboratory.

We are investigating industries where Canada is a leader and making investments to meet the needs of the Canadian marketplace in fields such as aerospace and transportation, healthcare and medical, mining and marine. We are expanding our medical testing and certification and continuing the Toronto renovations with future expansions and new services in mind. Our Montreal lab expansion will include new facilities for testing and certification in the aerospace industry. We are working with experts to help make sure that CSA Group is making the right investments in the right industries to keep our Canadian roots strong.

Global expansion

In the past few years, we have opened more than 20 new labs and offices in Asia, Europe and North America. We have invested significant funds to expand our global business service portfolio, strengthen our processes, hired new talent and put mechanisms in place to help protect our certification mark. For example, today we are a world leader in testing and certifying products for hazardous locations and have leading standards for oil and gas pipelines. We have hazardous locations labs in the UK, Canada, India and China, and more than 200 highly experienced engineers around the globe working on testing and certifying these types of products. We have an internationally recognized portfolio of standards-based solutions for the oil and gas sector going back 50 years, addressing public safety, efficiency and durability. We will work towards building our leadership position in other business segments and continue to strengthen our standards portfolio.

We are growing at an accelerated pace. In 2014, in Europe, we opened a new lab in Frankfurt that specializes in testing medical devices as well as industrial equipment and household appliances, and we are building a new hazardous locations testing laboratory in Wales. We added a new electromagnetic compatibility test chamber in Strasskirchen. This enhances a test facility that is amongst the largest and most technically advanced in Europe.

Our presence in Asia has also seen rapid growth. In July 2014, we opened a new laboratory in Bangalore, India, capable of performing testing and certification for a variety of products including medical, industrial control and IT/AV. CSA Group has been present in India for the past 10 years, but this is a tremendous step forward for our business as we are now able to offer local testing and certification services and we will continue expanding in 2015. In April 2014, we opened a new laboratory in Taiwan. It serves the power tools market as well as provides CB and EEV testing and certification services. Our rapid growth continued in Asia with a new office in Japan, a new lab in South Korea and several new labs in China including a high power test laboratory in Guangzhou and a chemical testing lab in Shanghai.

CSA Group has focused on providing local services in the regions where we operate, providing our customers with the expertise they require right at home. We’ve expanded throughout North America, Europe and Asia to reach new markets and help encourage international trade. CSA certification mark appears on billions of products worldwide and we will continue to grow.

CSA Group is not about labs and facilities: it is about our employees who make a difference, each and every day. Our dedicated and highly-skilled employees around the world help ensure the safety and performance of CSA Group certified products that are in our homes, our offices and our street. Whether it’s putting our mark on the world today or pioneering standards for tomorrow, CSA Group is dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. Together, we are building a strong and sustainable organization that acts globally to prevent injuries and fatalities, protect the environment and demonstrate care for people. For 95 years, CSA Group has been anticipating issues and developing solutions that serve the needs of members, customers and society at large and we intend to do so for another century.

For more information about CSA Group visit www.csagroup.org.

Ash Sahi is President and CEO, CSA Group.