Legal
Into: Product Safety 
Legal aspects of product safety General product safety
All the products marketed within the European Union have to be safe.
This means that any product made available to buy, must not present any undue risk to the consumer under its normal use.
The General Product Safety Directive was transposed into Irish law on 4 May 2004 by Statutory Instrument No. 199 and prohibits the placing of unsafe goods on the Irish market.
It does this by:
Defining what is a safe product and specifying that all products must be safe
Imposing obligations on (...) Read more
Legal
Into: Product Safety Product Categories Cosmetics products
A cosmetic is an external enhancement of particular aspects aimed at cleansing or altering an appearance to make it more attractive.
European legislation on cosmetics is not limited to beauty products but applies to an entire range of other products applied to the human body.
This definition is consequently very broad and covers an extremely extensive range of products.
They may be products which come into contact with the skin, the hair, nails or any part of the body. Cosmetics comprise (...) Read more
Legal
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Directive
Into: Product Safety Legal aspects of product safety Product liability Product liability and defective products
A product is deemed defective only after taking into account the circumstances of its use.
This means that if a product is not properly used it may not be deemed to be defective.
The 1991 Act provides that a producer shall not be liable if he proves:-
· that he did not put the product into circulation, or
· that, having regard to the circumstances, it is probable that the defect which caused the damage did not exist at the time when the product was put into circulation, or
· that the (...) Read more
Legal
Into: Product Safety Legal aspects of product safety Product liability Product liability and defective products
Damage caused such as death or personal injury and property damage.
Under the Act, a consumer can sue for compensation if the defective product has led to:
personal injury damage to private property death
The consumer must be able to show that that it is likely that the defect in the product directly caused the death, injury or damage. Read more
Legal
Into: Product Safety Legal aspects of product safety Product liability Product liability and defective products
A consumer must take action for any damage or injury;
Three years from:-
• the date on which the cause of action accrued or, if later
• the date on which the Plaintiff became aware, or should reasonably have become aware, of the damage, the defect and the identity of the producer.
The producer’s liability expires at the end of ten years from the date on which the producer placed the product on the (...) Read more
Legal
Into: Product Safety Product Categories Children’s items Toys
Before being marketed, toys must be provided with a CE conformity marking which
• symbolises their conformity with the provisions of the Directives;
• consists of a unique seal or design, namely the CE seal;
• is affixed by the manufacturer or his authorized representative established in the Community.
CE stands for Conformité Européenne, French for European conformity.
Without the CE Marking, and without complying with the provisions of the Directive, the product may not be placed on the (...) Read more
Labelling
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Toys
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Legal
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Children
Into: Product Safety How product safety is ensured! Safety labelling
Dangerous chemicals, by law, must have warning labels flagging their contents. But do consumers really know what these labels mean?
Chemicals are an integral part of modern life. They are found in every household and workplace. But they can be bad for your health. If not used correctly they can catch fire, cause burns, damage health and damage the environment.
Hazard symbols and examples of products
Irritant: Bleaches some household cleaning products.
Flammable: Compressed gas (...) Read more
Labelling
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Inhalation
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Chemicals
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Legal
Into: Product Safety How product safety is ensured! Safety labelling
Specific labelling has been introduced to inform consumer about substances that can cause allergies. It also permits improved protection of the environment by safeguarding aquatic systems from the harmfuk effects of certain substances.
Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on detergents.
These regulations aim
to harmonise rules relating to the biodegradability of surfactants in detergents, restrictions or bans on surfactants on (...) Read more
Kitchen
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Labelling
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Chemicals
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Legal
Into: Product Safety Product Categories Textile products
In Ireland this legislation on the labelling of textiles is transposed as S.I. 485 of 2010 http://www.deti.ie/publications/sis... This legislation transposes Directive 2008/121/EC on textile names (recast) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ... and also Directive 2009/121/EC on textile names (melanine) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ.... The recast Directive incorporates all the amendments to the original Textile names Directive 94/74/EC into one instrument while Directive 2009/121/EC (...) Read more
Textile
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Legal
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Directive
Into: Keep yourself safe Safety at Work
The main legislation providing for the health and safety of people in the workplace is the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. This Act applies to all employers, employees and self-employed people in their workplaces. The Act sets out the rights and obligations of both employers and employees and provides for substantial fines and penalties for breaches of the health and safety legislation.
Under the Act the employer has a duty to ensure the employees’ safety, health and welfare at (...) Read more
Legal
Into: Keep yourself safe Safety at Work
Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 every employer is required to carry out a risk assessment for the workplace which should identify any hazards present in the workplace, assess the risks arising from such hazards and identify the steps to be taken to deal with any risks.
The employer must also prepare a safety statement which is based on the risk assessment. The statement should also contain the details of people in the workforce who are responsible for safety (...) Read more
Safety
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Legal
