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Calls for Overhaul of Product Safety System

The current system of product safety and recall in the UK is potentially putting people’s lives at risk and requires a major overhaul, according to Which?.
 
The consumer organisation says the system suffers from a lack of joined-up national oversight and action and is not currently fit for purpose.
 

Changes Urgently Required

It is calling for urgent changes to the regime, including the establishment of a national body that can take control of dangerous situations as they arise and get products out of people’s homes quickly, as well as creating a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information on product recalls before there is further tragedy or loss of life.
 
The consumer body has also expressed concern over the length of time taken by Government to respond to serious incidents and subsequent reviews following product related fires, and highlights that it is still awaiting the outcome of the Working Group on Product Recall and Safety set up in October 2016.
 

Which? Report

To highlight the extent of the problem, Which? has published its own report, which shows the serious problems that can be created by an overly-localised and confusing system, which has no single source of information on product recalls for consumers and uses an ineffective local solution to tackle what is a national problem.
 
The report acknowledges that companies are ultimately responsible for the safety of the products they produce, but stresses that there must be a robust system in place to over-see this and that consumers need to have confidence that this system works in practice.
 
The issues raised in the report were highlighted in practice when Peterborough Trading Standards initially failed to force Whirlpool to change its advice to consumers, despite more than 700 instances of Whirlpool tumble dryers catching fire. The local authority only changed its position once Which? had threatened legal action, highlighting the lack of a proportionate and effective way to appeal or review trading standards teams’ product safety decisions.
 
Problems in the regime are made worse by the lack resources for local trading standards teams, which have lost more than half (56%) of their full time equivalent staff and expertise since 2009. Combined with an over reliance on manufacturers to self-check their products’ safety, this paints a worrying picture, says Which?.
 

Calls for New Safety Body

Which? is now calling on the Government to urgently set up a new national body to take responsibility for product safety and recalls, which has the resources and expertise to identify dangerous goods and to make sure they are removed from people’s homes.
 
A single, reliable and well-publicised website – acting as a ‘one-stop-shop’ – should also be created to provide authoritative information and advice when dangerous products are identified or recalls are required.
 
“The product safety system simply isn’t fit-for-purpose and its over reliance on a local approach to a national problem poses grave risks to consumers,” explained Peter Vicary-Smith, Chief Executive of Which?
 
“The Government must now take urgent action and create a new national body that has all of the tools it needs to get unsafe products out of people’s homes,” he added.
 

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