SAFETY Act Certified

February 02, 2012

Most of Rapiscan Systems’ products are SAFETY Act certified, what does that mean?

After 9/11 the United States Congress wanted to encourage the development and use of new and innovative anti-terrorism products and services. Concerned that fear of lawsuits would stifle counter-terrorism product development, they enacted the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002 (SAFETY Act). This legislation provides important legal liability protections to buyers and sellers of anti-terrorism technologies.

The full text of the SAFETY Act can be found here. In short it affords the manufacturers of security equipment and (most importantly) their customers, certain legal protections in the event of an act of terrorism, as designated by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, in the U.S. or on U.S. air carriers and flagged vessels. In such an event, all claims would be joined in a single legal action that bars punitive damages and caps liability at the amount of insurance that the manufacturer carries.

To become SAFETY Act certified is quite an endeavor. The application process is extensive and requires the submission of technical information (design, manufacturing, safety, performance, reliability, service and training), sales history and proof of insurance.

Not all manufacturers of security equipment are certified. As a buyer of security equipment and services this would be significant for a number of reasons. Products that carry the SAFETY Act certification have undergone rigorous testing, are highly reliable and are produced by substantial companies.

Category: Policy |