UK Guidance for Market Surveillance Authorities

UK guidance for Market Surveillance Authorities in regard to product safety and noncompliance notification. The British Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published a guide in January 2021.

This manual is updated on 14 April 2022. 
UK guidance for Market Surveillance Authorities
UK guidance for Market Surveillance Authorities | Graphics by Ellina Goncharova from Alura Group

What is the Reason for this Guide?

It provides market surveillance authorities information on how they must use the PSD to report unsafe and noncompliant products. PSD stands for Product Safety Database. Basically, it is a directory used for reporting unsafe and noncompliant products.

Summary of UK Guidance for Market Surveillance Authorities

This guidance is intended for market surveillance and enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom who are responsible for product safety and legal metrology regulation. It specifies the need to notify the Secretary of State if items endanger consumers’ health and safety. Furthermore, it outlines the requirement to notify the Secretary of State when products are found to be noncompliant with the relevant product safety legislation.Subsequently, this guide clarifies to whom it applies and how notifications should be made. Furthermore, it provides related authorities transparency on how the OPSS will take legal action following notification on the PSD. 

What’s More?

In short, the guide includes the following:

  • Legal requirements to notify product safety risk and noncompliance
  • General Product Safety Regulations 2005.
  • Regulation on Accreditation and Market Surveillance (Great Britain)
  • EU Regulation on Market Surveillance and Compliance (MSC) of Products (Northern Ireland) .
  • Sector-specific legislation
  • Notifying the Secretary of State using the PSD (the role of the Market Surveillance Authority
  • Post-Notification Actions and Requirements (the Role of OPSS)
  • Validation of Product Safety Notifications 
  • Publication of Alerts
  • International Reporting and Market Surveillance Data Exchange
  • Additional UK Product Safety Contact Point functions
  • Overseas Liaison and Engagement
  • International surveillance
  • Domestic Surveillance

UK guidance for Market Surveillance Authorities, links and downloads