The European Union (EU) is set to revise its General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) before the end of 2012. The revised GPSD would introduce stricter market surveillance measures, reports STR and others.
The more strict market surveillance measures include random inspections, monitoring, enforcement and sanctions. Plus procedures to bring noncompliant products into compliance. The published resolution suggests these changes would eliminate legal uncertainty for businesses and provide more adequate protection for consumers.
Under the GPSD, a “safe” product is defined as a product that when used under normal circumstances does not propose risk to product users (or the risks are minimized/compatible with the product’s use). The product will undergo a safety assessment, and only when the product is deemed ‘’safe’’ will it be allowed to be placed on the European market. Producers must provide information on the product, such as warnings of risks associated with the product.
The point of the GPSD, it’s said, is to ensure a high level of product safety throughout the EU for consumer products that are not covered by specific sector legislation. Examples of its domain includes:
- toys
- chemicals
- cosmetics
- machinery
This directive seeks also to fill in gaps vis a vis sector legislation.
For instance, often there are holes with regard to producers’ obligations and the authorities’ powers and tasks in sector legislation. Enter GPSD.
Stay tuned here for updates as (or if) anything becomes final.