Micom testifies as an expert witness on the CGSB programs

I was recently asked to testify as an expert witness in front of a House of Communes Permanent Committee that wanted to know about the benefits and issues the Canadian General Standards Board provides Canadians.  Below is a transcript of my testimony.

June 3rd, 2014 / 8:50 a.m.

Michel Comtois President, Micom Laboratories Inc.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning.

My name is Michel Comtois and I am the president of Laboratoires Micom inc., in Dorval. Our company was founded 15 years ago. Prior to that, I worked for 12 years in another laboratory. I have therefore been working with the CGSB for 25 years. As in a marriage, I have seen the best and I have seen the worst.

I work with the CGSB  in three capacities.

First, I am a CGSB client. Since the establishment of my current company, as well as during my previous career, the board has been my laboratory accreditation services provider. The services have been necessary in order to guarantee that the laboratory’s quality control procedures are up to standard.

I also provide services for the CGSB. The CGSB has a list of approved products that is used for advanced product assessments so that potential buyers can then purchase these products without worrying about their reliability or their compliance. It is somewhat like buying a hair dryer at the store. You are not going to be concerned about whether or not the hair dryer is dangerous if you can see that it has been certified by the CSA Group. Laboratories and organizations have made sure that the product is safe for the user.

We provide laboratory services to the CGSB, who is therefore our client.

Furthermore, over the past 25 years, I have sat as an expert member on a number of technical committees that set CGSB standards. These committees deal, for all intents and purposes, with all CGSB standards, whether they apply to office furniture or to other products such as latex gloves and ink or recycled cartridges.

I was a member of the ISO/TC 136 committee. I was the head of the Canadian delegation that dealt with ISO standards for office furniture. We represented the Canadian position.

I have divided my remarks into three main parts. The CGSB also provides inspection services but I have never been involved in that. I therefore do not feel that I am in a position to speak to that aspect of the CGSB’s work.

Let’s turn now to laboratory accreditation programs. It is easier for a new laboratory to acquire accreditation under the CGSB’s program than the corresponding A2LA Program. It is easier from a technical perspective and from a cost perspective, especially becaus