UK: MODERNISE PRODUCT SAFETY LAWS

 

The UK Government has announced that their product safety laws, which are over 30 years old, are set to be overhauled in a bid to make them modernized.

 

As part of the effort to modernize the regulations, OPSS has opened two new product safety consultations:

• Smarter regulation: UK product safety review
• Smarter Regulation: Fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture

The consultations will seek views on how the UK can better regulate 21st century innovations like internet connected devices including smart watches and speakers, and artificial intelligence, while ensuring British businesses are not stifled by costly red tape.

 

The consultation on a proposed new approach to the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture will be aimed at improving protections for consumers, addressing modern day domestic hazards and introducing new safety requirements.

 

The new approach will replace the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (FFRs) to ensure safety requirements reflect furniture in the modern home, reduce chemical flame retardants in domestic upholstered furniture and encourage innovation.

 

The consultations contain the proposals as follows:

[UK product safety review]

1. Creating an agile, risk-proportionate and innovative framework
2. Potential categorization of products by hazard
3. A more proportionate cross-cutting approach
4. Supporting supply of critical products in emergencies
5. Introducing voluntary e-labelling
6. Tackling the listing and re-listing of unsafe products in online marketplaces
7. Strengthening consumer information online
8. Enhance the role of OPSS
9. Data and Intelligence sharing
10. Consolidate and align UK’s enforcement legislation
11. Introduce new enforcement powers
12. Inspection powers
13. Creating a fit for purpose product liability regime

[Fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture]

1. the scope of the regulations
2. the essential safety requirements
3. the conformity assessment procedure
4. the labelling requirements
5. the technical file requirements
6. the proposed timescales for the implementation of and transition to the new regulations
7. measures to encourage and enable a reduction in the use of chemical flame retardants

 

The Consultations will close at midnight on 24 October 2023 in local time.