Inside the Canadian Standards Association…
…there’s a division called the Notices Group. This division is supposed to “help ensure that your products continue to meet the latest standards requirements.” In theory, the Notices Group sends updates to certified manufacturers to advise of changes to various product safety standards. There is no prescribed regularity to such notices, they’re sent at CSA’s pleasure. And that’s where the trouble starts.
Updates from the Notices Group usually require retesting of an already tested product. Upon receipt of Notices Group updates, quoting CSA documentation, “in most cases, re-submittal of samples and / or documentation for testing and / or evaluation by a CSA Group certifier is required.” And, of course, the CSA runs a lucrative product testing facility. So, in sum, the CSA has the power to mandate retesting of certified products whenever it suits them, and then they charge the manufacturers for all that mandated retesting. Its like printing money, and its a pretty big incentive to issue plenty of updates.
This isn’t just a potential problem. According to whistleblowers, whenever CSA has a slow quarter the Notices Group starts churning out new updates. Said one insider, the “updates were for revenue only, a shakedown.” “There were updates without amendments that applied to product lines, [the CSA] charged companies anyway, [and this was done] regularly.” The substance of such updates is usually cosmetic, just enough to justify the new billings. “The Notices Group would up the standard arbitrarily in order to bill for an update. This is called ‘revving the report’.”
Shake down is what the regulatory class do.
In a “3rd world” country the bribes are negotiable, here in a so-called 1st world country these bribes are fixed, endless and remorselessly enforced, depending who you are.
The existence of CSA makes no sense when we share standards in trade with those 300 million plus, American cousins of ours.
As a genuine cost saving, government efficiency step, disband CSA and adopt the US standards.
The CSA is a perfect bureaucratic institution, pretending to be all about public safety, it then extorts all producers to reward career parasites.
This is the Kleptocracy writ large.
There is a misunderstanding of the true purpose of the CSA.
The CSA is not intended to focus on Canadian standards or quality. Its main purpose is to provide employment for new immigrants particularly from India. Standards, quality and service are only a front.
A perfunctory visit to the CSA offices in Mississauga will easily confirm this fact. Instead of being critical of the CSA Canadians should be proud and embrace the new low quality knowing full well CSA is on the forefront of moving towards appropriate third-world levels where the expertise is more in deceit and bribery and finagling the government.
I suspect there are plans afoot to extend this model to other reputable Canadian organizations to align them with the multicultural nirvana that awaits us all.
In the aviation world, once you meet the requirements in force at the time you applied for an aircraft or engine to be certified, that’s pretty much it.
If you want to make a change to a DC-3 (for example), which was certified in the mid-30’s, you have to meet the design requirements in force at that time. (it’s not quite as simple as that, but you get the drift).
How can CSA get away with imposing new standards on products that were previously deemed ‘safe’?
An interesting side bar is the cost of Codes and Modules for aspiring Welding Inspectors of which there is great need.
A classic example is CSA W178.2 a required code should one wish to challenge the Exam for a Level I Welding Inspector.
30 pages of code on 15 sheets of paper for the nice round sum of $180.00 CAD. !!
A full Set of Modules to Module # 23..
CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau-buddies with CSA) Price: 952.20
ASME Sect IX 2013 (only 1 small part of the Boiler /Pressure Vessel code that in this section relates to Welding procedures/Qualifications etc.. and fits into a 1.5″ binder.)
CSA Price..?? $ 580 CAD
The whole code..??
CSA Price..?? $ 16,695.00 CAD
I mean really…??
This is why we in the business help each other out and share the “knowledge” and to hell with this kind of rip off. And why many bootleg this kind of product…now where is that Chinese website where I was getting them for
What?
MikeSr..know thee not SARCASM..??