In today’s intricate marketplace and supply chain, UK businesses that manufacture, import, sell or distribute products are encountering growing complexities. Alongside this, there has recently been a concerning rise in the availability of unsafe goods for sale.
Business Companion, a renowned resource for businesses seeking guidance on trading standards and consumer protection regulations, has recently unveiled a new product safety guide aimed at assisting companies and traders in ensuring the safety of their products and promote best practice.
Providing safe products for the UK marketplace: Guidance for businesses on PAS 7050 is the latest in the Business Companion ‘Business in Focus’ series, a free online resource for businesses in need of accurate, reliable and up-to-date guidance on a wide range of issues.
The guide focuses on the PAS 7050 code of practice, which provides a set of recommendations about bringing safe products to market. PAS 7050 was developed in response to concerns that some products available for sale in the UK do not meet safety requirements and that certain businesses are failing to implement processes which could keep their customers safe, thereby putting themselves and their reputations at risk.
The majority of businesses aim to sell safe products, but situations can occur, and processes can be missed, that result in unintended consequences. It is important therefore that all businesses involved in producing or selling products follow practices that mitigate potential harm to consumers, and have a plan in place for the actions to take when things do go wrong.
Providing safe products for the UK marketplace contains background information about the key points of the code of practice, with sections devoted to specific types of business model, including sellers of goods on online marketplaces, repairers and refurbishers of goods, and second-hand sellers. Links to further resources, including checklists for each of these business types, are also included.
The guide also contains an example of a product safety incident plan (PSIP) that businesses can adapt to their own requirements.
Product safety expert Geraldine Cosh, who was part of the team that created PAS 7050 and author of the Providing safe products for the UK marketplace guide, said: “Whatever size your business is, if you’re doing the right thing and you’re doing it well, this guide can be a really good way of confirming that. But you need to document that, so you have the evidence that you’re getting things right. This guide is a really good starting point to help you ensure that you’re doing the right thing.
“Sometimes understanding product safety requirements can be overwhelming, and PAS 7050 really helps with demystifying that.”
To accompany the Business in Focus guide, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has also published a short video featuring Geraldine Cosh and product safety expert Mark Gardiner, who also contributed to PAS 7050. In the video, they discuss the key points of the code of practice and explain why it is so important for consumers and businesses alike that the products we buy and use are safe. Geraldine and Mark have also been conducting a series of webinars in which they discuss PAS 7050 in more detail.
Whatever your business does, product safety should be at the top of its agenda. To help make sure you are avoiding costly and potentially deadly mistakes, visit businesscompanion.info today to download the guide.
About Business Companion
Business Companion is a free online resource produced by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) on behalf of the Department for Trade.
The content on Business Companion is written and verified by expert contributors, but is not designed to be a replacement for professional advice and is intended only for guidance. Only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.
Business Companion covers Trading Standards law for England, Scotland and Wales. For guidance on the law in Northern Ireland, please see nibusinessinfo.co.uk.
