TORONTO, June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — CSA Group, a leading global provider of standards development, testing and certification services, Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS), the standards development, conformity assessment, laboratory accreditation and metrology organization for Trinidad and Tobago, and Premier Quality Services Limited (PQSL), a fully owned subsidiary of TTBS that provides business solutions in quality, professional and skill development via training, consultancy and strategic partnership programs, announced a new alliance and have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

“Our new alliance with TTBS and PQSL is part of our commitment to develop standards nationally and globally,” said Gianluca Arcari, Executive Director, Standards and Vice President, CSA Group. “Through our new alliance, we will be sharing expertise and knowledge to encourage stronger relationships with business and government in Trinidad and Tobago. Our new cooperation will help build awareness and understanding of the important work our respective organizations do to help make a safer world.”

CSA Group, TTBS and PQSL will cooperate and work together in the fields of standards, conformity assessment and training and consultancy to contribute meaningfully to trade and economic development. The new alliance will help build institutional linkages between Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.

Theodore Reddock, TTBS Executive Director (Ag) stated that “this alliance is an important step in building strategic partnerships to advance the development of a globally recognized quality infrastructure.” He further added that “the MOU with the CSA Group is of special significance to TTBS as it builds upon our previous excellent collaboration in the areas of standards, quality and trade support systems, as we keep abreast of international best practice.”

Through the proposed alliance, both organizations will engage in specialty training and mentorship programs for professional and technical staff in conformity assessment activities including inspection, testing and certification, accreditation and product evaluation. The organizations will also work together to fight counterfeiting and establish training programs to help identify counterfeit CSA marks to remove from the market potentially unsafe products that have not been tested and certified .

About CSA Group
CSA Group is an independent, not-for-profit membership association dedicated to safety, social good and sustainability. Its knowledge and expertise encompass standards development; training and advisory solutions; global testing and certification services across key business areas including hazardous location and industrial, transportation, plumbing and construction, medical, safety and technology, appliances and gas, alternative energy, lighting and sustainability; as well as consumer product evaluation services. The CSA certification mark appears on billions of products worldwide. For more information about CSA Group visit www.csagroup.org.

About Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards
TTBS is responsible for the development of national standards in relation to goods, services, processes and practices in Trinidad and Tobago. The organization’s mandate includes conformity assessment activities including inspection, testing and certification of products, services and systems, laboratory accreditation, and metrology services. TTBS also serves as the Enquiry Point as well as the implementation and administration agency for the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement.  

Premier Quality Services Limited
PQSL is a fully owned subsidiary of TTBS, which is committed to facilitating industrial development and supporting the quality infrastructure, by providing business solutions in quality related fields including inter alia management systems; business improvement initiatives and  programs; and professional & skill development via training, consultancy and strategic partnership programmes. For more information about TTBS visit www.gottbs.com.

For further information: CSA Group: Allison Hawkins, Manager, Corporate Affairs, 1-416-747-2615, [email protected]; TTBS: Rodney Ramnath, Head, Certification Division, 1-868-662-8827 Ext: 177, [email protected]; PQSL: Huey Cuffie, Chief Executive Officer, 1-868-645-9026 – Ext 227, [email protected]