In order to protect the rights and interests of consumers and to facilitate economic activities, agricultural, industrial and mining commodities domestically produced or to be imported must comply with inspection requirements before they are shipped out of the manufacturing premises, are imported or placed on the market. Inspection of commodities is conducted according to four schemes, namely: batch-by-batch inspection, registration of product certification, monitoring inspection, and declaration of conformity.

As of November 2004, 539 commodities are subject to mandatory inspection before being allowed to be placed on the domestic market. Among them, 199 are chemical products and 340 are mechanical, electrical or electronic products
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In addition, the Department of Health has commissioned the BSMI to conduct inspection of imported agricultural, fishery and food products. As of November 2004, 1853 agricultural and fishery products are subject to inspection. Relevant regulations govern the inspection of these products are available at the web site of the Department of Health. For convenience of accessing these regulations, an indicative, but not exhaustive, list of important regulations for agricultural, fishery and food products is provided below.

　List of Regulations Adopted by the Department of Health Governing the Inspection of Agricultural, Fishery and Food Products

Announcement of Commodities Subject to Inspection

The announcement of commodities subject to inspection is done through a transparent procedure where interested parties are invited to comment on the proposals along the different stages of discussion. The proposals are also made public in the Standards Gazette published by the BSMI and other media to invite comments. Where the proposed measures could have significant impact on international trade, they are also notified to the WTO.
Conformity Assessment Procedures

The BSMI conducts regulatory inspection based on the Commodity Inspection Act, in which four conformity assessment procedures are specified. The choice of the appropriate conformity assessment procedure is made depending on the characteristics of a specific commodity as well as other factors such as the technology available, the development of industry and the availability of international standards. The four conformity assessment procedures are batch-by-batch inspection, registration of product certification, monitoring inspection and declaration of conformity.

Designated Testing Laboratories

Testing of commodities can be done by the BSMI or testing laboratories recognized by the BSMI. Testing laboratories that meet relevant requirements may apply to the BSMI for recognition and they will be called "designated testing laboratories" after recognition is granted. Below are the lists of such laboratories in specific product areas.

　Regulations Governing Recognition of Designated Testing Laboratory for Commodity Inspection (pdf)
　List of Designated EMC Testing Laboratories (Domestic)(odt)
　List of Designated Testing Laboratories for Machinery and Mechanical Products (Domestic)
　List of Designated Testing Laboratories for Chemical Products
　List of EMC Testing Laboratories Recognized by the BSMI in Foreign Countries (pdf)

　List of IECEE CB Scheme NCBs and CBTLs Registered under the BSMI(pdf)
　List of safety Testing Laboratories Recognized by the BSMI in Foreign Countries (pdf)
On-line Search System of Products Requiring Mandatory Inspection

An on-line search for products, including chemical, mechanical, electrical, electronic, agricultural, fishery and food products, requiring mandatory inspection is available at the following web page:

　On-line Search for products subject to Regulatory Inspection
　Related Application Forms and Documents