JPMA Certification Process

  1. In order for a manufacturer to be JPMA Certified, they must submit an application and contract to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) to participate in the certification program. They can be either a member or non-member of the association.
  2. They must have all of their models in a product category tested by the official certification laboratory.
  3. The testing is done to voluntary standards that are developed and published by ASTM International (formerly The American Society for Testing and Materials). Committees with ASTM, which are comprised of a balance of manufacturers, consumer groups, representation from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other interested parties, develop and revise the standards as necessary.
  4. Once a manufacturer has become JPMA Certified, their testing responsibility does not end. Manufacturers must test 25% of their models each quarter with the goal that all models are tested at least once a year. Manufacturers can either perform the quarterly testing in their certified lab and send the reports to the official lab, or have an accredited lab do the testing for them. If the manufacturer is performing the quarterly testing in their own lab then the official lab will do a site visit once a year to verify the manufacturers’ capability of performing the tests.
  5. After all this, there is still another part to the certification program. Random Retail Testing is also performed on a quarterly basis. In this part of the program, the official lab purchases participants’ products from retail stores and performs testing to all or part of the appropriate ASTM standard.
  6. JPMA provides the manufacturer a certification seal to use on their products, packaging, and in advertisements. The manufacturer must adhere to all the guidelines of the program in order to remain a JPMA Certification Program participant.