Product Safety Review consultation and next steps

On 5 November 2024, the new government published its response to the Product Safety Review (PSR) initiated by the previous government in August 2023.

The government has indicated that those who responded to the PSR consultation on the reform of product safety agreed generally on the main issues, being:

•    the need for a system that can deal with new hazards more easily, allowing temporary exceptions for the supply of essential products during emergencies;

•    the development of more robust and transparent responsibilities for the market online to prevent and remove unsafe listings from sites;

•    new digital labelling on a voluntary basis to reduce business costs;

•    strengthened leadership and co-ordination of the Office of Product Safety and Standards to assist collaboration and support better practices working with authorities dealing with market surveillance; and

•    preserving product safety data in a central storage facility to identify product safety risks and enable targeted intervention by relevant authorities.

The government plans to use powers in the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, which was introduced to Parliament in September 2024, to implement requirements of the market online to improve the safety of products sold.  These markets will have to require that their sellers comply with product safety obligations, and they will have to take action against the sellers where necessary.  They will need to give consumers appropriate information, instructions and warnings about products before purchase, and they will need to co-operate with regulators to prevent unsafe products from being made available.

The government highlights hazards, such as the choking hazard of button batteries, and the fire hazard of lithium-ion batteries, as areas likely to require further legislation in the next year.

The government states that EU product safety law is developing, including new rules for noise emission by outdoor equipment, and the introduction of a uniform standard for chargers of some electronic devices, and the government is considering whether to help businesses to introduce similar measures in the UK.

Finally, the government is considering whether to move comprehensively towards the default of providing and sharing product safety information digitally.

There is likely to be further consultation and secondary legislation in all these areas.

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