Product safety report: February 2011

Laser pointers

There are moves in Europe to address the dangers of powerful laser pointers. Calls have been made to ban them from consumer sales because they pose an unacceptable risk of permanent damage to sight in normal reasonably foreseeable use.

We are also all aware of the hazards posed to air traffic safety because laser beams are frequently pointed at planes and helicopters as they are landing, causing the pilots to be distracted.

It is proposed that current standards are not rigorous enough and need to be expanded to address this situation across Europe. This is because the lasers are battery, rather than mains, powered. The feeling is that these products need to be categorised separately under the scope of the General Product Safety Directive. I will update you on further developments.

Product recalls

You will be aware from my previous reports that I continue to be amazed (and saddened) at the levels of product recalls across the UK - and the rest of the world. Sadly, my concerns appear to have been confirmed as it has now been reported that the number of products recalled in the UK rose in 2010 to a new high. There were 229 product recalls in the 12 months to November 2010; numbers have risen from 149 in the 12 months to November 2005. Most of the highest-profile recalls have featured cars in recent times, such as Toyota.

Toys and other products for children, such as the Fisher-Price recall in September last year, also tend to have a high profile. Many of these toys have been made in China, which suggests that although China is aiming to improve standards, their compliance problems are still present in some areas. This has led the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to open its first overseas office in Beijing. They hope that this presence will help to reduce the number of unsafe products reaching the US market.

Ski helmets

Head injuries are the major cause of death or severe injury on ski slopes. EuroSafe has called on governments and ski slope operators to make sure that there is no exception to the rule that everyone wears a helmet while on ski slopes. It is widely acknowledged that wearing ski helmets saves lives, but Europe cannot seem to agree on whether it should be made law to enforce them being worn on slopes.

Children and young people are most at risk and there is no major difference in injury risks between snowboarders and skiers. More than 50 per cent of all severe and fatal injuries in snow sports are head injuries and I fully support the Eurosafe campaign.

The future of product safety?

A workshop in Brussels has met to discuss the future of product safety in Europe. The big discussion point was Asia and the rest of the world being forecast to replace the USA and Europe as China and India’s largest export market. This could influence decision making relating to the design of products, and could possibly affect standards, with more products being designed and produced for markets other than the United States and Europe. This could lead to the current system of international and European harmonised standards coming under threat, potentially jeopardising product safety in Europe.

Linked to this issue is the fact that internet sales are expanding rapidly, increasing cross-border trade. This prevents member states from preventing unsafe products from reaching consumers because the stock is located offshore. I will, of course, keep you all updated on this and all areas of my report.

Philip Le Shirley, Product Safety Adviser for RoSPA