ESF product safety conference
Electrical Safety First technical director Martyn Allen reports from the charity’s annual product safety conference
B
y the time you read this, Electrical Safety First’s tenth anniversary product safety conference –
Reflecting on the Future - will have taken place. It’s an appropriate title for the event. The current rate of technological change means ideas and items formerly found in the pages of sci-fi have now become part of the IoT and entered real life. In the decade since we established this
event, we have seen product safety embed itself in the political and news agenda, with many of the subjects introduced at the conference now recognised as critical issues. This year, we have focused on two fundamental and highly topical issues: the impact of Brexit on consumer product safety and how connected technology requires connected thinking. Launching the conference, delegates
were welcomed by Electrical Safety First chief executive Phil Buckle and board member Adam Williams, who chaired the conference. Their introductions were then followed by the first session, Cutting Through the Complexity of Compliance, which considered how the safety of consumer products might be affected by our withdrawal from the EU. As I write this, the Prime Minister’s ‘Brexit
deal’ has still to be passed in Parliament. But the expectation is that – deal or no deal – we will leave the UK on March 29 next year. This will be followed by a transition period
of 21 months (although this too, could be subject to change) during which we will
‘mirror’ EU legislation. But the uncertainty over the impact of Brexit itself - and the post-Brexit regulatory landscape, continues. Inevitably, this threw up several related issues for our expert panellists to consider. Discussions ranged from the possibility of a
new UK-only conformity mark, which would be developed should there be a ‘no deal’ Brexit, to our relationship with CENELEC (the European Committee for Electrotechnical standardisation). It was clearly felt that a new conformity mark would add huge complexity for manufacturers and likely to increase confusion for consumers. And the ambiguous voting status of the UK in CENELEC also caused concern. Without the ability to vote, the UK would simply be observers, rather than influencers on this key committee (Thankfully, this has now been resolved and full voting rights have been maintained). The second session of the day looked at consumer attitudes to product safety, with the panel – including representatives from Google and Amazon - sharing views and ideas on consumer attitude and behavioural insights, particularly in relation to the ongoing growth of online sales. Discussions also included a review of the potential effectiveness of e-labelling as a consumer protection tool and the work of the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). After lunch, the keynote speaker was Graham Russell, the CEO of the OPSS (Graham was
standing-in for Kelly Tolhurst MP, the Minister for Small Businesses, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, who was unfortunately unable to attend). Following a short video outlining the benefits of the PAS 7100 (the Code of Practice for recalls), Graham explained the key strategy of this still nascent body and praised the Charity for its support for better coordination of product safety at a national level. Phil Buckle then took to the stage, to announce the winner of Electrical Safety First’s Safety Innovation Award. Developed to acknowledge those companies who are putting safety at the heart of their product development process, the worthy winner this year was Beko plc, for the innovative flame-retardant back panels fitted across its range of refrigeration products. Returning to our panellists, our first
afternoon session considered the benefits and challenges of connected devices. They discussed how, as technology has become embedded in our homes, the number of smart appliances and electrical gadgets we own has dramatically increased; while the way we buy them has also been transformed. Although concerns around cyber-security were clearly noted, problems with interoperability, systems integration – and the changing relationships between all the actors in the supply and service chain – were intensely discussed. In the final session of the day, panellists
reviewed the impact our technological revolution is having on product liability and consumer trust. Today’s smart products are composed of multiple components, from global sources, linked to other items and being installed and maintained by other actors. So where does the buck stop? Who becomes responsible when things go wrong? There was a call for clearer allocation of responsibility and universal agreement that ‘education is crucial’ - for both consumers and the industry. •
Electrical Safety First is holding a conference follow-up event, which will look at unravelling risk assessment (post-incident), on Tuesday, May 26 2019, at Mary Ward House, 5 Tavistock Place, London WCIH 9SN. For further information contact: Neelam Sheemar on 0781 381 4527 or email: Neelam.
sheemar@electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
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www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk December 2018 / January 2019
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