Product safety
Information on the relevant laws and regulations that apply to consumer and product safety policy issues.
General Product safety regulations
General product safety is regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPS Regulations). They apply to all products (new and second-hand) used by consumers. Product-specific legislation continues to take precedence in areas where the provisions have similar objectives to the GPS Regulations.
The GPS Regulations maintain the general duty placed on producers and distributors to place on the market (or supply) only products that are safe in normal or reasonable foreseeable use. The principal responsibility for day-to-day enforcement of the Regulations lies with local authorities.
The GPS Regulations recognise certain technical standards as carrying a presumption of conformity with the general safety requirement, meaning that products that comply with them are deemed to be safe. An up-to-date list of European Standards is available on the European Commission Website
General guidance on product safety is available on Business Link - ensure your products are safe for employers and Directgov Consumer section.
The Department is responsible for regulations relating to cosmetics, lighters and other products and chemicals. For more information, visit our page on Product Regulations.
Rapid Alert System for non-food consumer products (RAPEX)
RAPEX is the EU rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products – with the exception of food, pharmaceutical and medical devices which are covered by other mechanisms.
It facilitates the rapid exchange of information between Member States and the Commission on measures to prevent or restrict the marketing or use of products posing a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers. Both measures ordered by national authorities and measures taken voluntarily by producers and distributors are reported by RAPEX.
How does RAPEX work?
When a product (eg a toy, childcare article or household appliance) is found to be dangerous, the competent national authority takes appropriate action to eliminate the risk. It can withdraw the product from the market, recall it, or issue warnings. The National Contact Point then informs the European Commission (Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection) about the product, the risks it poses to consumers and the measures taken by the authority to prevent risks and accidents.
The European Commission disseminates the information that it receives to the National Contact Points of all other EU countries. It publishes weekly overviews of dangerous products and the measures taken to eliminate the risks on the internet.
The National Contact Points in each EU country ensure that the authorities responsible check whether the newly notified dangerous product is present on the market. If so, the authorities take measures to eliminate the risk, either by requiring that the product be withdrawn from the market, by recalling it from consumers or by issuing warnings.
A weekly overview of the dangerous products reported by the national authorities (the RAPEX notifications) is published on the Commission Website.
Top
Product recall
The Trading Standards Central web site contains a list of product safety notices and recalls.
If you are concerned about the safety of a product, make your concern clear to the retailer, manufacturer or local trading standards department.
If you are a producer or distributor of consumer products on sale in the European Union (EU), the attached guide gives you general advice about what you should do if you have evidence that one of your products may be unsafe. It is a voluntary guide to carrying out corrective actions for product safety, supported by the market surveillance authorities in Member States and consumer and trade organisations within the EU. Product Safety in Europe: A Guide to corrective action including recalls
Unsafe product notification
Producers and distributors have a duty to notify local authorities when they become aware they have placed on the market, or distributed, an unsafe product.
To make this process simpler a business application form has been designed. There are two parts:
- the notification form - which the producer or distributor should fill in
- the online database - used exclusively my the authorities of Member States to view and process notifications (in the case of the UK the National Contact Point for RAPEX at BIS)
Guidance and the form can be accessed on the EUROPA Website.
Local authority enforcers have a duty to inform BIS of products placed on the market that either present a:
- serious risk in need of urgent intervention
- non-serious risk requiring some intervention
Guidance for local authorities on informing BIS about products is available by following the links below:
Top
