ABSTRACT
The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 which replace the General Product Safety Regulations 1994 and implement Directive 2001/95/European Community, came into force on 1 October 2005. The purpose of the Directive is to ensure that products which are intended for consumers or likely to be used by consumers under reasonably foreseeable conditions are safe. Regulation 5(1) states that no producer shall place a product on the market unless the product is a safe product. The relationship between the Regulations and sector-specific product safety legislation is not an easy one. The obligation is to provide information to consumers so that they can assess risks inherent in a product, and take action to avoid those risks. The Regulations appear to envisage an ever-closer relationship between producers, distributors, and enforcement authorities. The enforcement provisions are contained within the Regulations, alongside the other law. The General Product Safety Regulations 1994 make some important changes to the UK law on consumer product safety.
