- The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill published 5 September is welcomed by leading UK consumer safety charity.
- Sets broad ambition to address twin threats of dangerous goods sold on online marketplaces and stronger regulation of products that pose risks to public health and safety, such as e-bikes – which Electrical Safety First has been campaigning for.
- Government must ensure the supporting legislation makes it effective against issues, such as the ‘whack-a-mole’ effect of banned third-party sellers re-emerging.
Electrical Safety First today welcomed the Government's publication of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. It emphasised the importance of the detail of the Bill and supporting regulations to avoid loopholes leaving UK consumers exposed to deadly products.
The Bill is expected to address key areas, including the safety of products sold through online marketplaces and the regulation of products, particularly those that pose risks to the health and safety of consumers, such as e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries.
UK consumer safety charity, Electrical Safety First, has been calling for government action to tackle both these issues. Its ‘Don’t Be Electricked’ campaign calls for legislation to ensure consumers are as protected shopping on online marketplaces as they are on the high street, with online marketplaces being legally defined and held accountable for the safety of products sold on their platforms. On 22 August 2024, the charity published findings of its most recent investigation into online marketplaces, which found that 96% of products it had purchased from sites, including Temu, Amazon and eBay, failed safety tests.
In Summer 2023, the charity published a seminal report into lithium-ion batteries, featuring 30 recommendations to tackle safety issues. E-bike and e-scooter fires have increased fourfold since 2020, resulting in staggering financial losses, homelessness, hospitalisations and even deaths. Electrical Safety First is leading a campaign to introduce measures, such as third-party certification, to end manufacturers being able to self-declare their batteries are safe. Other high-risk products such as heavy machinery and fireworks require third-party certification and Electrical Safety First believes e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries should also be classified as high-risk. The campaign has over 85 national organisations backing it, including Brompton, Which? and the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First, said: “We welcome the Government’s publication of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill. UK consumers are at risk from the never-ending tide of dangerous electricals sold via online marketplaces and this has to stop.
“Equally, e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries must be classified as high-risk and require third-party certification to prevent the increasing number of fires. We are encouraged by the Government’s prioritisation of these important issues. However, the devil will be in the detail. The legislation must be robust enough to prevent bad operators from risking the lives of UK consumers.”
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Notes to editors:
- Electrical Safety First is the leading UK charity dedicated to reducing deaths and injuries caused by electricity in UK homes. For more information, visit www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk.