NEWS EXTRA
then they often don’t do the job as effectively.” Barrettine manufactures and supplies a range of products to the home improvement market and managing director Steven Bailey believes that much more can be done to minimise the dangers. “Until the Government brings in tighter legislation and point of sale controls, it is very difficult to
“POS controls should be tighter, as with other restricted products which are generally effective”
prevent corrosive products being used in this horrific way,” said Mr Bailey. “We mustn’t lose sight of the problem here. The individuals who use corrosive products in such an awful and illegal way choose to do so. In the event corrosive products were not available to them, they
would switch to something else as a choice of weapon to cause harm. Tackling the root cause of the problem must be addressed swiftly. “Manufacturers and suppliers can
review packaging and formulations to a point but if the intent to use corrosive products in such a horrific manner is there, the abuser is likely to find a way to decant the product.”
In-store support
Mr Bailey believes suppliers have a responsibility to support retailers on this issue.
“For quite some time now, we have put an instruction leaflet in outer cases that go to retailers and distributors giving them guidance as to who these types of products should be sold to. For example, only sell sulphuric acid-based product to trade and professional end users. “A further sensible precaution is to only have dummy or empty bottles on display instructing the consumer to take the empty bottle to the till. That way the retailer can talk to the customer to understand the products required use and advise accordingly.
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“Away from the horrific intended acid attacks, good product stewardship is necessary to help legitimate customers as genuine accidents can happen if these types of products are not used appropriately. We believe POS controls should be tighter, as with other restricted products which are generally effective.
“One of the biggest challenges will be online sales where the buyer is not present but distributors should still put in place effective point of sales controls in the same way as a traditional hardware store. Recording customer details and the delivery address would be good due diligence.”
Little impact on sales Mr Bailey said Barrettine has not seen an impact on sales of these
products, as yet. “Used correctly they serve an important role in maintaining hygiene, sanitising difficult areas and are important in helping to maintain public health.” Although the company has developed a range of natural enzyme drain cleaners, Mr Bailey explained that natural products are currently less effective at tackling major blockages, which is why more aggressive and corrosive products are sometimes required - but research continues.
The consensus seems to be that
there is no single solution – no golden bullet – to resolving this issue. Meanwhile, retailers on the front line can only follow the guidelines in doing the best they can to ensure sulphuric acid-based substances do not get into the hands of criminals.
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