Describes the country's standards landscape, identifies the national standards and accreditation bodies, and lists the main national testing organization(s) and conformity assessment bodies.
Last Published: 8/6/2019

Overview

The BSJ is a statutory body established by the Standards Act of 1968.  The Bureau of Standards is controlled by a Standards Council, which is responsible for policymaking and general administration.  Standards are developed by standing committees representing varied interests, such as consumer groups, the manufacturing sector, and the public in general.  The Bureau’s main functions are formulating, promoting, and implementing standards for goods, services, and processes.  It develops and enforces technical regulations for those commodities and practices which affect health and safety.

The Bureau also facilitates trade and protects Jamaican consumers with the timely development and promulgation of national standards.  The Standards and Certification department seeks industry participation in allowing the development of new standards and new markets both locally and regionally.  The Bureau’s mandate includes (i) preparing standards for particular products, practices, and processes and (ii) checking products against claims of conformity to published standards.
 

Standards

Standards Organizations
The BSJ is the main standards development organization in Jamaica.  At the BSJ, the preparation of standards is authorized by the Standards Council following representations from national organizations or from committees and staff of the BSJ.  When the final draft of the standard is ready, it is sent to the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries for approval after which it is made available to the public for comment.  After consideration of the comments, a final document is prepared and the Standards Council recommends the document to the Minister for approval.  The declaration of the standard is published and copies are made available for sale.  Standards are revised every five years, while the Catalogue of Jamaican Standards is updated every six months.  It includes a listing of all standards published to date as well as those approved by the Minister awaiting publication.  The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), private companies, and government agencies and ministries also have a limited role in standards development.  The BSJ restructured its operations in 2018 to maintain standards setting, but create a separate enforcement entity, the National Compliance and Regulatory Agency (NCRA) to enforce the standards.

Conformity Assessment
The BSJ is responsible for issuing licenses to use the Bureau’s Certification Mark (Mark of Conformity).  A number of laboratories carry out tests in such areas as food analysis, chemistry, metallurgy, microbiology, building materials, furniture, packaging, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, weights and measures.  Private companies involved in conformity assessment are Technological Solutions Limited and SGS Limited.

Product Certification
The National Certification Mark issued by the BSJ is a mark of quality awarded to products, processes, and practices, which conform to relevant standards.  Products, which are proven to be of consistent and reliable quality, are granted the National Certification Mark.  The BSJ encourages consumers to purchase products which bear this mark, as it guarantees consistent product quality.  All manufacturers have the right to apply for the mark.  The BSJ’s team of analysts and specialists examines the manufacturers’ processes, equipment, records, raw material, quality control systems, and the finished product to ensure good quality.

The Product Certification offered by the BSJ is voluntary (and at a cost to the applicant).  Plans are being developed for the establishment of a National Certification body.  Also being planned is a Compliance Sticker Program, which will allow local products of a suitable standard to bear a Compliance Sticker.  The program will also extend to compliant imported products.  There is a mutual recognition agreement between the BSJ and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and Jamaica has adopted more of ASTM’s standards than any country in the Caribbean.

Accreditation 
The BSJ offers laboratory accreditation to Chemical and Microbiological Laboratories, which apply for this recognition.  Accreditation services may also be obtained from International agencies.  Plans are in place for the development of a National Accreditation Body (separate from the BSJ), which will take over this function.

The BSJ’s Technical Information Center is the only national standards library in Jamaica.  It is the center of the international standards information network and serves as:

The National Enquiry Point under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade  (TBT)
Contact Point for Codex Alimentarius Commission in Jamaica

Local Agent for International Organization for Standardization (ISO), British Standards Institution (BSI), and American National Standards Institution (ANSI).
The Bureau has membership in the following regional and international organizations:
 

  • International Electro-Technical Commission (IEC)
  • Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ)
  • Inter-American Metrology System (SIM)
  • Pan-American Standards Commission (COPANT) (an ISO Commission)
  • Caribbean Metrology Sub-Region (CARIMET)

Additionally, the Bureau cooperates with several other regional and international standards and metrology institutions such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), National Center for Metrology-Mexico (CENAM), Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME), National Office of Standards-Cuba (NC), Columbian Institute of Certification and Technical Standards (ICONTEC), Barbados national Standards Institute (BNSI), Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS), and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

In 2013, a Hazardous Substance Regulatory Authority (HSRA) was established to administer the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act, 2015, and ensuing regulations.  The Act applies to the possession, acquisition, production, manufacture, processing, transfer, development, handling, storage, import, export, or disposal of natural and artificial radioactive material, nuclear material, ionizing radiation apparatus and devices emitting ionizing radiation.
 

Testing, inspection and certification

The Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) is the national accreditation body of Jamaica.  JANAAC,  an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MICAF), was incorporated in March 2007, and officially began operations in April 2008.

JANAAC is a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Corporation (ILAC) and the Inter-American Accreditation Corporation (IAAC).

Test certificates from foreign laboratories are accepted, assuming that the foreign laboratories are ILAC mutual recognition agreement (MRA) signatories.  In addition, U.S. testing laboratories can operate in Jamaica and test U.S. products to comply with domestic regulatory requirements if the laboratories are ILAC MRA signatories.
 

Publication of technical regulations

Proposed Technical Regulations are made available to the public for comment.  A 30-day period is allowed before publication.  Any entity, including U.S. companies, may comment on the proposals before they are published. The BSJ has a Technical Information Center, which has information on standards being developed.  Final Technical Regulations are published in the Jamaica Gazette Supplement - Proclamations, Rules, and Regulations.

Product labeling is one of the more important and topical matters handled by the BSJ.  The Catalogue of Jamaican Standards lists requirements for over 30 different commodities.  The list is wide and varied and includes items such as footwear, precious metals, household appliances, panty hose, thread, animal feeds, toys, furniture, and various packaged goods.

Labeling requirements are contained in a series of mandatory standards for the Labeling of Commodities (JS 1: Part 1 through to JS 1: Part 30).  Adherence to these requirements is closely monitored by the BSJ. Monitoring entails verification of labels against the specifications outlined in the particular labeling standard.

It is critical for the BSJ to develop a system that will allow the organization to exercise its duty with increased efficiency and effectiveness with respect to compliance to compulsory standards (technical regulations).  The Label Registration Program was therefore proposed.  This program aims to prevent labeling violations both at the Ports of Entry and in the Domestic Marketplace.

Labels of each product can therefore be registered with the BSJ under this program.  This registration program is voluntary and will assist the speedy processing of goods through Customs (using a database) for importers who have their labels registered with the BSJ.
The steps required for this process are:
 

  • The completion of the Label Registration Form
  • Submitting the form along with the labels of the products to be registered (preferably on line) to the Bureau of Standards
  • Make payment using either the e-commerce facility or the other means available and showing proof of payment
  • The label is assessed and a report done
  • If the label is in conformance with the standards, the registration will be approved and a registration number assigned and added to list of compliant labels
  • Where a labeling non-conformance is identified, the report shall indicate the areas of non-conformance, and make recommendation to effect corrections
  • The applicant will be required to implement the recommendations and re-submit the corrected label and proceed again
  • Label registration number now used by Customs to process imports
  • Routine periodic verification conducted by BSJ Inspectors/Officers to identify continued compliance
  • If non-compliance is identified, registration is withdrawn and distributor advised to re-register the label(s)

 

Contact Information

Bureau of Standards Jamaica
6 Winchester Road, P.O Box 113
Kingston 10
Tel: (876) 632-4275 or (876) 618-1534; Fax: (876) 929-4736
Email: info@bsj.org.jm

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify the WTO of proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade.  Notify U.S. (www.nist.gov/notifyus) is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures.  Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected country(ies) and industry sector(s) of interest, and can also request full texts of regulations.  This service and its associated web site are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.” 

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