Consumers generally expect that products they buy in the UK will be safe and that businesses making and selling these products will have the right plans and processes in place to protect the people who use them. Safety is also one of the factors when purchasing a product, but, from a recent Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) survey[1], while 17% of respondents said this was an influencing factor on purchasing decisions, price and quality were both cited by more than half of respondents. Consumers also appear to care more deeply about the safety of some types of products than others, with baby products, toys, white goods and electrical appliances at the top of the list[2].
If a product safety issue does occur, this puts the public at risk and can damage the brands and commercial prospects of organizations throughout the supply chain. These issues still affect many people, with one in ten respondents who bought a product within the last 6 months reported experiencing a safety issue of some kind, according to another OPSS survey[3] published in 2022.
The onus is very much on manufacturers, distributors and retailers to minimize the chances of issues arising in the first place, then respond in the right way if a problem does occur. Indeed, UK product safety regulations require businesses to take responsibility to ensure that consumers are protected from unsafe products.
Regulations, as well as the development voluntary standards, are both an important part of the product safety system needed to support businesses and protect consumers. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005, Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011, and Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 and other product specific safety regulations require that new and used consumer products placed on the market in the UK are safe, and businesses throughout the supply chain are responsible for the safety of such products.
We worked with OPSS, based on broad input from industry and other stakeholders, to create standards that complement the regulations and provide additional guidance to businesses. PAS 7100, originally published in 2020, and recently revised, focuses on product recalls, helping businesses to respond to issues if they do occur. In 2022, we also published PAS 7050, focused on bringing safe products to market, to help minimize the risk of unsafe products being made and sold in the first place.
The new standard, PAS 7050:2022 Bringing safe products to the market – Code of practice, provides a set of recommendations and practical guidance on systems and processes to enable the production and delivery of safe consumer products, underpinned by the preparation of a product safety management plan (PSMP). This will help to reduce the likelihood of product safety issues arising, minimizing the risks to consumers, and help businesses that implement the guidance to protect their reputation and brands.
Establishing a Product Safety Management Plan
Implementing a PSMP and developing an internal system for reporting concerns is an essential step towards ensuring the safety of the products your business produces or distributes.
PAS 7050 sets out the key elements of a PSMP plan, which covers:
- Managing internal systems with appropriate focus on product safety
- Building product safety principles into design, formulation, fabrication and production processes
- Addressing product safety when working with other businesses in the supply chain
Successfully applying the PAS is about more than simply setting out a plan and processes. It starts with a clear management commitment and includes embedding a product safety culture as well as ensuring that employees receive relevant training. Ongoing monitoring, assessment and review are important, and the scope includes supplier risk and supply chain responsibilities as well as manufacturing.
The PAS also provides a handy set of checklists to help organizations who are implementing this code of practice, with a combination of points relevant to all organizations, as well as items that are specific to a manufacturer, online marketplace, repairer or refurbisher, as well as distributors and importers of second-hand products.
How can PAS 7050 help my business, customers and supply chain?
Using the new PAS can help organizations to protect themselves and their customers, and support efforts to meet regulations. The potential benefits include:
- Reducing product safety related reputational, commercial and compliance risks
- Protecting your customers against unsafe products
- Giving supply chain partners and the market more confidence in the safety and value of your products, making it easier to trade
- Learning good practice for building a PSMP
- Taking practical steps in line with consumer safety product regulations
As Graham Russel, Chief Executive of the Office for Product Safety and Standards, neatly summarises it, “As product supply chains become more complex, businesses need to develop their systems to ensure they only bring safe products to market. This Code, sponsored by OPSS, helps protect consumers by supporting businesses to get it right first time.”
