FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1996-01-10

SCC Announces New Accreditations

OTTAWA - The Standards Council of Canada has accredited two testing laboratories and granted new or expanded accreditation to two certification organizations.

CERTIFICATION

Certification organizations provide assurance that a product or service conforms to applicable standards or other specified requirements.

MET Laboratories, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland has been accredited to provide certification services pertaining to the safety of electrical and electronic products, systems and related services. MET has been accredited additionally to provide certification services pertaining to electrical equipment for use in two categories of hazardous locations as defined in the Canadian Electrical Code:

Class I, with respect to safety of operation in the presence of flammable and explosive mixtures of specific vapors and gases with air; and

Class II, with respect to safety of operation in the presence of combustible dust in the air.

The Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) of Mississauga, Ontario has been granted additional accreditation to provide certification services in the area of welding consumables. CWB received its original accreditation as a certification organization from the Standards Council in 1991.

TESTING

Testing laboratories are accredited under the Program for Accreditation of Laboratories -- Canada (PALCAN) to manage and perform listed tests registered with the Standards Council.

The Analytical Services Department of Imperial Tobacco Limited's R&D Division of Montreal, Quebec has been accredited to perform specific chemical tests for the determination of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide present in the smoke from cigarettes.

Canadian Building Envelope Science and Technology's CAN-BEST Testing Laboratory of Brampton, Ontario has been accredited to perform specific mechanical, physical, thermal and fire resistance laboratory and field tests of windows, doors, curtain walls, security/safety glazing, building systems, cladding systems, roofing systems, flooring systems and construction materials.

Organizations accredited by the Standards Council of Canada meet strict administrative and technical criteria. The Standards Council is the federal Crown corporation with the mandate to foster and promote standardization.

For more information, contact the Standards Council at 1200 - 45 O'Connor Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6N7; phone (613) 238-3222; or fax (613) 995-4564.

- 30 -