Product certifications: The logos and acronyms you see are meant to enlighten, not confuse

Governmental and nongovernmental organizations run an accreditation program for U.S. and Canadian laboratories. In the United States, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) accredits those laboratories through its Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory program. In addition to OSHA, other accreditation bodies accredit laboratories as qualified to test electrical, gas, and other classes of products for the U.S. market. Those include the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Accreditation Services (IAS), and the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP).

Those organizations issue certification marks in a wide range of categories, including small and large appliances, smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, electronic equipment and home electronics, computers and computer gear; and heating and cooling equipment.

A certification mark "is important because it shows that a product has been examined and tested by a third party--the certifying lab--which is attesting that the design, construction, and performance of the product meets some voluntary industry standard," says Jim Nanni, appliance and home-improvement manager for Consumer Reports. Without such a listing there is little to guarantee performance and safety except the word of the manufacturer.

It's important to note, though, that those testing labs generate revenue for their testing, "so they do have some motivation to work with manufacturers during the certification process," says Nanni. "However, this end result is still leaps and bounds better than a product that lacks this third-party review. Most people don't realize that many 'standards' that we often speak of are only voluntary--many products are not actually required to be tested to any standard."

Keep reading to see a list of certification marks for common household goods and what the marks mean.