OAK BROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world, has been certified as the first training provider and examiner for the new Safe Design Professional (Saf-D-Pro) Certification Scheme, enabling Intertek, the company that pioneered Design Hazard Analysis® and design appraisal in consumer product development, to play an integral role in helping to promote a greater focus on product design in the consumer goods industry. Intertek’s certification comes about as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that building safety into every product at every stage of production prior to being available on store shelves is a key priority for the organization as it strives to avoid future product recalls. The CPSC also emphasized that more attention to product design and assembly is key to meeting product safety mandates at the 3^rd Annual Product Safety & Liability Conference, held this week in Washington, D.C.

“Every year, millions of consumer products, including power tools, window treatments, toys, food, household appliances and cars, are recalled because of possible injury risks resulting from normal, everyday use. Nearly 75 percent of these product recalls are the result of design defects,” said Gene Rider, President of Intertek Consumer Goods North America. “Design appraisal, Design Hazard Analysis® and design review are professional disciplines that can have enormous impact on consumer product safety when conducted consistently and reliably. It is essential for everyone in the supply chain to have qualified product safety experts to ensure that design appraisal – the most critical step in any comprehensive product safety system – is conducted by knowledgeable and qualified individuals.”

The Saf-D-Pro Certification Scheme has been developed by RABQSA International, Inc. in conjunction with the Saf-D-Pro Scheme Committee to provide international recognition for Certified Design Appraisers who conduct safety assessments on consumer product designs. The Committee included notable industry experts such as Robyn Easton, Consumers' Federation of Australia; Joanne Vincenten, European Child Safety Alliance; Dr. James Reilly, Nemours-duPont Hospital for Children; as well as others with extensive consumer product risk assessment and risk management experience.

Saf-D-Pro encompasses competency-based product design certification criteria in each of the key elements of effective design appraisal, including knowledge of product safety standards, recall and incident data, human factors and foreseeable use/misuse analysis, hazard identification and characterization, and engineering, chemical and microbiological analysis.

To learn more about or apply for RABQSA’s Saf-D-Pro Certification Scheme, please visit: http://www.rabqsa.com/cb_safdpro.html

To learn more about Intertek’s Design Hazard Analysis® capabilities, please visit: http://www.intertek.com/risk-management/design-hazard-analysis/

About Intertek

Intertek (www.intertek.com) is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers’ products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 26,000 people in more than 100 countries around the world.

About RABQSA

RABQSA creates value for you and your customers. We design, develop, and deliver personnel and training certification services relevant to your industry.