Product safety for businesses

Businesses that supply products to consumers have a responsibility to ensure they are safe. We are responsible for enforcing safety regulations covering many different areas such as toys, bicycles, cosmetics, crash helmets, plugs and sockets, bunk beds and electrical goods.

What are my responsibilities?

If you are a manufacturer, importer or repairer you bear a greater responsibility to ensure products you place on the market are safe. Some specific regulations for certain products require that you hold certain information for each product. You must also notify your local trading standards service if you believe you have placed an unsafe product on the market.

If you are a retailer you need

To keep records of where you obtained products from so that they are traceable.
Pass any complaints about the safety of the product back to producers/importers and
Cooperate with the authorities and others in the supply chain in taking action to avoid or remove those risks.

What does "safe" mean?

Generally a product will be regarded as safe if under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions of use it presents no risk or only the minimum risk compatible with the product's use and which is consistent with a high level of protection for consumers.

Consideration has to be given to the use for which it was designed, the instructions and the packaging.

Where can I get more information?

We have a selection of Guidance notes on trading standards advice pack for a variety of products.

There are also a series of guides available in the publications section of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). Go to BIS (opens in a new window) website and search for safety.