
Product Safety is an extremely important area of responsibility for the Trading Standards Service.
With the introduction of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, and the General Product Safety Regulations 1994, there has been an increase in the provision for safety of consumer goods. The Trading Standards Service has an important role in supporting and advising businesses, as well as cracking down on unsafe products and unscrupulous traders.
There has been a number of regulations made under the Consumer Protection Act to legislate on particular types of goods such as:
and many more.
More product safety information is available on the Trading Standards Institute website:
'Use this link' to see a short summary of specific product safety information
'Use this link' to view product recalls and safety notices
The increase in European directives being enacted by UK regulations, for example Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 1992, has also meant a wider role for Trading Standards Officers, and an important role also in supporting and advising businesses, as well as cracking down on unsafe products and unscrupulous traders.
UK Regulations which implement EU 100A directives are becoming an important area of trading standards responsibility. The Regulations deal with a very wide and varied range of products and attempt to reduce the barriers to trade through 'Essential Safety Requirements'.
Some examples of the regulations already implemented:
If you would like further information we recommend visiting the following websites: