Compliance Gate Platform: General-Use Products Use Case
Compliance Gate Platform + General-Use Products
This page explains how you can use the Compliance Gate Platform in relation to General-Use Products sold in the United States. Note that you must ultimately take action based on the latest version/s of the relevant regulations, guidance pages, or other sources.
Step 1: General-Use Product Assessment
Complete a 2-minute product assessment to identify regulations and
prepare your workspace.
Step 1: Select country/market
Select the United States as the country/market
Step 2: Select Product Modules
You select relevant project and product/material modules to add the following to your workspace:
- • Compliance Requirements List
- • Project tasks
- • Suggested templates
- • Suggested widgets
Example: Carpet
Modules: Carpets and rugs + Textile Products + Packaging
Step 3: Set Specifications
Fine tune your requirements list by answering questions about the following:
- • Product functionality
- • Materials and components
- • Age group
Step 4: Add Templates/Widgets
Based on your inputs, the platform suggests relevant templates and widgets to add to your workspace
Template: General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)
Product Workspace Created
The platform prepares a workspace based on the Product Assessment, which contains the following:
Compliance Requirements List- Project Modules
- Document templates
- Label templates
- Product Testing
Note: You must ultimately take action based on the requirements in the latest version of the relevant legislation, guidance pages or other sources.
Step 2: General-Use Product Workspace
Your workspace contains project modules, requirements lists, templates, and other elements
based on the product assessment. Here, you can complete several key steps of the process.
Step 1: Compliance Requirements List
This tab lists product safety rules and other regulations identified during the product assessment.
Step 2: General-Use Products Project Module
Use the project module to break down several key steps of the process for general-use products into actionable tasks.
Step 3: Book Lab Testing
General-use products must be subject to a reasonable testing program. You can request quotes from third-party testing companies via the platform.
- Book testing in the US or Asia
- Compare prices
- Request free quotations
- Dedicated lab contact person
Step 4: General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)
You are required to create a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC) for each product. We provide a template.
Note: The GCC information is required for eFiling
Other features
LexDatabase
Product safety rules are subject to updates. With the LexDatabase, these can be tracked from a single dashboard.
- Track upcoming regulations
- Track updates in the last 90 days
- We send email alerts
Support Tickets
You can ask questions about the general-use product compliance process and requirements to our support team
- Ask questions about GCC requirements
- Ask up to 5 questions per support ticket
- We normally respond in 1 to 2 business days
Note: The Compliance Gate Platform is continuously updated. Note that the video and the images may not fully reflect the current version of the platform.
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Interested in learning more about general use products?
FAQ
How can the Compliance Gate Platform help us with the process for general-use products?
The Compliance Gate Platform can help you with the following steps in the compliance process for general-use products:
1. Identify mandatory product safety rules
Examples
16 CFR part 1262 – Magnets
16 CFR part 1263 – Button cell or coin battery
16 CFR part 1610 – Wearing apparel
2. Book third-party testing to verify compliance with applicable product safety rules
3. Use the GCC template to create a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)
4. Track future and updated product safety rules
You can also send your questions to our support team if you get stuck during the process or have questions. We have worked on many projects involving general-use products destined for the United States.
Why do I need to track new versions of product safety rules?
Product safety rules are not static. New versions replace older ones which can result in new and updated:
- Product requirements
- Labeling requirements
- Testing requirements
Compliance with product safety rules is rarely something you do once and never have to revisit. It is therefore important to track new versions, which can be done via the LexDatabase.
Can I manage the general-use products process on my own instead?
Yes, you can certainly manage the entire process on your own. The CPSC provides expensive guidance and FAQs on their website, which is free of charge.
That said, the Compliance Gate Platform provides a visual workflow, ready-made templates and support from an experienced team that can help you save time and money (compared to if you try to piece everything together on your own).
Does the platform cover the entire process for general-use products?
No, there are aspects that are beyond the capabilities of the Compliance Gate Platform. For example, the platform does not have the ability to re-design your product to become compliant.
For instance, 16 CFR part 1263 sets requirements concerning battery compartments. While you can identify 16 CFR part 1263 as applicable to your product using the platform, it cannot redesign your products battery compartment on your behalf.
The purpose of the Compliance Gate Platform is to help you manage the administrative process around product compliance, but there are limits to what it can achieve.
Can we submit eFiling GCC data via the Compliance Gate Platform?
You can access the CPSC eFiling portal via the service page within the Compliance Gate Platform.
However, the actual registration and eFiling submission of GCC data takes place within the CPSC portal.