Work Beginning on New Edition of National Standard of Canada for Packaging of Infectious Substances, Diagnostic Specimens, Biological Products and Biomedical Waste for Transport

Ottawa, 30 January, 2014 – Public Works and Government Services Canada's Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) announces today the beginning work on a new edition of the National Standard of Canada for Packaging of Infectious Substances, Diagnostic Specimens, Biological Products and Biomedical Waste for Transport - CAN/CGSB-43.125 Packaging of Infectious Substances, Diagnostic Specimens, Biological Products and Biomedical Waste for Transport.

This Standard is referenced in Federal regulations under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 (Means of Containment for Class 6.2, Infectious Substances). This standard was last fully updated in 2003, however for the purposes of this new edition, the Regulator, Transport Canada, has determined that the previous edition published in 1999, is the appropriate version for this update.

With support from the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), CGSB administers the standards development process using balanced committees to arrive at voluntary consensus standards that can become National Standards of Canada.

As a Standards Development Organization (SDO) recognized in Canada as having the competence to develop National Standards of Canada, CGSB is among the SDOs whose standards development work is eligible for funding from the SCC. SCC funding is specifically targeted for the review and update of various technical standards maintained by SCC-accredited SDOs that are referenced in Canadian federal regulations and which have been confirmed by government departments as being of ongoing significance to their regulatory mandates.

This advisory is to notify the public and key stakeholders the work is commencing.

A draft of the standard will be made available for public review and comment in 2014 though the normal standards development process. Once the project concludes in 2015, the document will be available for public access for five years.

For more information, please review the Frequently Asked Questions, or contact CGSB at ncr.cgsb-ongc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca