On 2 August 2023, the UK government published its long-awaited proposals for reform of the UK product safety regime. There are 13 wide-ranging proposals, some of which could radically change the UK product safety landscape and/or have a significant impact for stakeholders.
The UK government has launched a public consultation on the reforms, which is open until 24 October 2023.
Headlines
Key proposals include:
- Mandatory incident reporting.
- A new defined role of 'online marketplace' with its own set of specific duties.
- An increase in the level of consumer-facing information to be provided for online listings.
- The introduction of voluntary e-labelling.
- Direct penalty powers for enforcement authorities without needing to bring a prosecution.
- A review of the UK product liability regime.
- Radically, a move away from the existing product safety framework (derived from European Union rules) to a new cross-cutting, hazard-based approach.
Our products team have provided a detailed analysis of the 13 proposals here. Please reach out to our team if you have any questions or would like assistance preparing feedback.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.