Dangerous products withdrawn from the EU market
Complying with the laws on safety that cover consumer products can be an intricate business, but one which it pays to get right. Get it wrong and you risk seriously damaging your corporate reputation.
According to the European Commission in 2008, the number of dangerous consumer products withdrawn from the EU market rose by 16% compared to 2007. Electrical products and motor vehicles were the most frequently notified products in 2008.
Toys, electrical appliances and motor vehicles alone accounted for 53% of all notifications on products posing a serious safety risk in 2008. The most common measures requested as a result of a notification were a ban on sales, withdrawal of a product from the market, provision of information to consumers about the risk identified, or a full product recall.
While a component can be tested in its own right and meet with the necessary safety and regulatory tests, once it is incorporated into another product it needs to be tested as part of the new product or assembly. Any design changes and the implementation of changes need to be carefully recorded and tracked. If in doubt, specialist testing houses like TRaC can advise on which regulations apply for which countries and what manufacturers should be including in their specifications.
TRaC has consulting staff and engineers that can assist in the assessment and evaluation process to ensure that all of the requirements relating to consumer product safety legislation are correctly identified and addressed. If you're unclear about product approval and safety, don’t guess and hope for the best, seek expert advice. The cost of using external consultants will be vastly outweighed by the cost of getting it wrong.
For further information on Rapex visit : http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/safety/rapex/index_en.htm
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