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Product safety

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General product safety

The European Union has adopted a number of initiatives to ensure a high level of protection for all citizens across each Member State.

The general safety of products placed on the market is guaranteed by Community legislation, which ensures a consistent, high level of protection for the health and safety of consumers.

The European Union (EU) has introduced a rapid alert system for products which pose a serious risk (RAPEX), and provisions for products to be withdrawn from the market if they are likely to put the health and safety of consumers at risk.

This section of Dolceta helps consumers to be aware of the key safety aspects for the products they use in everyday life.

Legal aspects of product safety

A great deal of work is carried out by Trading Standards and other enforcement agencies to ensure that the products we use are safe. Standards are produced so that consumers can be assured that products are manufactured to a minimum specification. Products are tested to ensure that they are safe and do not contain components or ingredients that could be harmful when they are used. This section considers the legal aspects of safety, including: General product safety Legal compliance with safety regulations Emergency measures for dealing with unsafe products Product (...) Read more

Ensuring product safety

Consumers must be confident that the products they use, or come into contact with are safe and do not present any danger to their health and physical safety. The EU has high common safety standards for all products manufactured inside or imported from outside the EU to ensure that European consumers enjoy the same level of safety protection across Europe. The EU coordinates the exchange of information between Member States on dangerous products that enables national safety authorities to act swiftly and prevent potentially harmful products from reaching (...) Read more

Product categories

In general terms the law states that a ’safe product’ is a product that, under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use, does not present any risk, or at most only the minimum risks compatible with the product’s normal use. For example – an electric drill is not a safe product for a child. The law states that consumer goods supplied in the U.K. must be reasonably safe. Trading Standards officers regularly check the safety of goods ranging from hair dryers to babies dummies and, if unsafe, take legal action to prevent further distribution and may also prosecute the supplier. (...) Read more

Dangerous imitations

There are 2 main types of dangerous imitations that are considered in this section: Products resembling food - these are where a trader supplies non-edible products, which could easily be confused with food because of their appearance, smell or texture. Products resembling other products – most unsafe products that are made available to resemble other products are counterfeits. As well as being poor value for money, these can be very dangerous as they are submitted to the same rigorous safety checks as genuine (...) Read more

Sources of help and advice

There are a number of organisations across the UK that can offer help and advice to consumers on a range of safety issues. There are also a number of organisations that are responsible for checking and enforcing safety legislation on manufactures and retailers. Read more

 
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