AFSL - About Us

Text Box: In the late 1980's the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the federal agency that established safety standards for consumer fireworks, determined that more than half of all imported fireworks tested at U.S. Ports of Entry failed federal safety standards. As a result, CPSC seized incoming shipments of fireworks and required the importers to correct, destroy or re-export the violative fireworks shipments. In addition, CPSC statistics indicated that the estimated number of injuries associated with fireworks (averaging 10,000 per year) had not decreased since the CPSC regulations went into effect in 1976. AFSL was formed to assist the industry in addressing these serious concerns.

Text Box: AFSL established a China Fireworks Quality Improvement Program that consists of the following elements:

VOLUNTARY STANDARDS

AFSL developed voluntary standards for twelve categories of consumer fireworks devices. The standards were developed and are continuously monitored by a Standards Committee, consisting of representatives of the fireworks industry, federal and state regulatory authorities, consumers, and technical experts.
The AFSL standards incorporate all federal CPSC and Department of Transportation requirements for consumer fireworks, and additional provisions developed by the Standards Committee to improve the safety of the products.

FACTORY ASSISTANCE

AFSL has reached an accord with factories, trading companies and shippers in China to implement a Quality Improvement Program (QIP) for consumer fireworks. Under the program, new product prototypes may be submitted to AFSL for evaluation, and factories receive information, training and technical assistance in producing fireworks that comply with the AFSL voluntary standards. Participating factories also are required to implement quality control procedures and in-process testing to ensure that complying fireworks are being produced consistently.

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION

A U.S. importer, through his China shipping agent or factory, may request that fireworks be tested by AFSL prior to shipment to the United States.
Before a shipment is certified, it is tested by an independent, internationally recognized testing laboratory under contract to AFSL. The laboratory randomly selects samples from the shipment and tests them for compliance with all CPSC mandatory requirements and additional AFSL voluntary provisions.
If the sample passes all requirements, an AFSL certification sticker is applied to each shipping carton in the tested lot. The certification stickers are tightly controlled by AFSL to ensure that they are applied to properly certified merchandise only.
Fireworks manufactured in the United States also may be certified under the AFSL program at the request of the U.S. manufacturer.

Text Box: Manufacturers and exporters participating in the voluntary Quality Improvement Program collect from the U.S. importer a per-case fee on AFSL-certified fireworks shipped to the importer. AFSL members who do not participate in the testing program pay annual dues of $250. Services provided include:
¨     development and review of voluntary standards;
¨     testing and certification of specific shipments by an independent testing lab prior to shipment to the United States;
¨     technical assistance to participating factories, including annual industry-wide seminars in China to keep industry abreast of changes in requirements, compliance issues identified through the testing program, necessary testing equipment, adequate training for factory personnel, etc.
¨     dissemination of appropriate cautionary labeling for the various product categories and other information to assist manufacturers in producing complying fireworks; and
¨     periodic newsletters, safety bulletins and annual summary reports on all products tested by AFSL.

Text Box: AFSL is administered by a 12-member Board of Directors representing companies that manufacture or import fireworks into the United States. The Board of Directors appointed an Executive Director to handle day-to-day operations. The Executive Director is assisted by a support staff.

About Us

ASSURING SAFETY AND QUALITY THROUGH TESTING

picture of fireworks

AFSL is an independent not-for-profit corporation whose primary purpose is to improve the quality and safety of fireworks manufactured in China.

AFSL was established in March 1989 to address concerns that an unacceptably high percentage of fireworks manufactured in China failed to comply with the U.S. performance and labeling requirements.

Text Box:
AFSL is an independent not-for-profit corporation whose primary purpose is to improve the quality and safety of fireworks manufactured in China.

AFSL was established in March 1989 to address concerns that an unacceptably high percentage of fireworks manufactured in China failed to comply with the U.S. performance and labeling requirements.