Product safety recalls and other corrective actions In this feature | robust system | harm | british Safety institute Safety first What is the new BSI Publicly Available Specification on product recalls? Robert Chantry-Price finds out W I am concerned that, by the time the PAS sees the light of day, there may be insufficient staff within trading standards to give expert advice to business on this issue hen things go wrong with a product, you need a robust recall system in place to deal with the fallout and prevent further harm. If we need an example of how important this is, just say the name Whirlpool to any trading standards officer. In October 2017, Whirlpool faced the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee on Safety of Electrical Goods to account for its approach to consumer safety, aserious fault identified in some of its tumble dryers. Atthe same meeting, CTSIs chief executive, Leon Livermore, repeated the institutes call for a national, coordinated body to deal with product recalls, saying the current product safety system was no longer fit for purpose. At the recent Electrical Safety First Conference, Margot James, minister for small business, consumers and corporate responsibility, outlined the initiatives that BEIS is taking to promote consumer product safety. This includes funding the development of a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) by the British Standards Institution (BSI) on product recalls. In June 2017, BSI published a draft version of PAS 7100: 2018 Consumer product safety recalls and other corrective actions. BSIreceived more than 400 responses from interested parties commenting on this document, and progress is being made on reviewing these. It is anticipated the final version will be published in February 2018 and will consist of two parts. Partoneis a codeofpractice for businesses and part two offersguidelines forregulators. Consumer product safety recalls Part one of the specification suggests that businesses should develop a product safety incident plan (PSIP), so they are prepared to deal with any incident that may require corrective action. It would also help ensure they devote sufficient resources to coping with such an event, should it occur. The PAS working group whose stakeholders include CTSI, Electrical Safety First and the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances emphasises the need to prepare for corrective action before the launch of a new product. The PSIP is described as a key feature of the PAS, which has not appeared in previous publications, such as those by Product Safety Forum of Europe (Prosafe) and the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO). Part two outlines the assistance that regulators should be able to offer businesses, to support them in meeting their responsibilities relating to consumer product safety. It also offers guidance on how to ensure the response by a manufacturer, in relation to a recall, isproportionate and effective. The publication of the PAS on product recalls and other corrective actions should be a useful tool for both manufacturers and trading standards services. I am, however, concerned that, bythe time the PAS sees the light of day, there may be insufficient staffwithin trading standards to give expert advice to business onthis issue. The PAS offers guidance on how to ensure that the response to a recall is proportionate and effective DEvELOPINg A STANDArD BSI defines a PAS as a document that below shows how it fits into the range of Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), standardises elements of a product, standardisation documents available which are accepted by all ISO members. service or process. It can be commissioned to stakeholders. by a wide range of organisations and sets At one end of the spectrum is an The specifications on the left side of the diagram offer a quick method out an agreed level of good practice in in-house specification a tool that is often of developing a safety specification. relation to innovative products, processes developed by a manufacturer, or by a test However, these have only limited or services. lab, to meet a pressing need to specify credibility, while those on the right have the safety requirements for a defined a higher degree of credibility, but may track approach to developing a standard range of products. At the other end of the have a longer gestation period before on a new, or emerging, topic. The diagram scale are standards for the International they are published. The development of a PAS is BSIs fast THE STANDArDS SPECTrum Credits Robert Chantry-Price is a CTSI lead officer for consumer and product safety. Images: istock.com / Michael Blann To share this page, in the toolbar click on You might also like Perfect recall November 2017