INTERVIEW CTSI
April 2024
ertonline.co.uk
‘It is vital for consumer protection to be prioritised’
Consumer protection is paramount in the electrical retail industry, and working together with experts and industry stakeholders is key. Now, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute is offering a unique product safety certification that aims to put businesses ahead of the competition.
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n the fast-paced world of consumer electricals there is a changing legislative landscape when it comes to product safety and how this impacts consumer behaviour. Some online marketplaces are contributing
to increasingly unsafe behaviour around the selling of potentially dangerous products. As a result, many industry organisations and associations are campaigning for change. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is one of the world’s longest-established organisations dedicated to the field of Trading Standards and Consumer Protection. After more than 140 years of progress, CTSI is immensely proud of its close association with the Trading Standards profession and the vital work it continues to do – promoting fair business practices, tackling rogue traders and, ultimately, protecting consumers. Its Business Certificate of Competence in Product Safety (BCCPS) training scheme is a vital part of this, and by attending this course participants will also be playing their part in protecting consumers and the vulnerable. ERT speaks to Geraldine Cosh MSc, who is one of the consultants supporting CTSI with the BCCPS training…
Q&A
Q: Tell us about the BCCPS training course and how it would be of benefit to electrical retailers?
The BCCPS is a certification that formally recognises knowledge and accomplishments in the field of product safety – while providing insights, techniques and best practice that aims to put businesses ahead of the competition, this is pertinent to all economic operators, and it includes electrical retailers.
Q: Why is product safety so important nowadays in the electrical retail industry? Electrical safety is so important due to the serious consequences that can happen when things go wrong, of which there are still too many examples. It is vital for consumer protection that product safety is prioritised in the marketplace and beyond. And electrical retailers have such an important role in this, as the main connection to the end consumer.
Q: What challenges does this industry face in the supply chain right now, and how can CTSI and its BCCPS course help? There are many challenges facing the sector at the moment, but one key thing is working together and building a network of experts that can support you to get things right, but that can also support when things go wrong. CTSI and the BCCPS course provide introductions to a great network of product safety experts, not only with the expert presenters available on the course, but with the cohorts that will be joining these sessions as well.
Q: What are the dangers consumers face when purchasing new or second-hand electrical goods? While there is an increasing amount of unsafe and potentially harmful products out there today, there are also many safe ones that are manufactured to a high standard by reputable businesses. It is important for consumers to understand the risks around electrical safety concerns and to purchase from the right companies. Unfortunately no company is immune from product safety issues, but a good economic operator will be able to contact customers when things go wrong and if there is no traceability or way to do this, this can be challenging.
Q: How important is your work in this area to ultimately increase consumer protection in today’s market? It is vital for consumer protection, and it is a team effort, working together with experts and industry stakeholders is key, including Trading Standards, other market surveillance and CTSI in addition to other industry experts, of which many are involved in the BCCPS. We are hopeful that electrical retailers will consider the BCCPS course for their business and we hope to welcome many of them to the free awareness session on 30 May to find out more!
To secure your free place on the awareness day, visit:
www.tradingstandards.uk/business- hub/bccps-training-course
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