Journey

Respond to a product safety incident

Emergency guidance when you discover an unsafe product. Stop supply immediately, notify Trading Standards and OPSS, manage the recall, and understand your legal exposure under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Retail & Consumer Goods Manufacturing & Engineering Running a Business Updated 15 September 2026

5 milestones references 3 guides

You have a product safety problem

Whether you have identified the risk yourself, received consumer complaints about injuries, or been contacted by Trading Standards, you must act immediately. Speed matters. Prompt voluntary action limits harm and is treated far more favourably by enforcement authorities than delay.

Stop supply and assess the risk

Remove the product from sale, warehouse shelves, and any distribution channels. Contact every business you have supplied and instruct them to do the same. Segregate affected stock clearly and do not destroy it -- it may be needed as evidence. Identify the batch codes, model numbers, and estimated number of units in circulation.
Notify Trading Standards and OPSS
You have a legal duty to notify your local Trading Standards authority immediately. "Immediately" means within 24 to 48 hours of becoming aware of the risk. You can notify while still gathering information -- initial notification followed by fuller details is acceptable. Do not wait until you have a complete picture.
Notification obligations

Regulation 9 of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 requires producers and distributors to notify authorities when they know a product poses risks to consumers. Failure to notify is a criminal offence.
Under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR), producers and distributors have a legal duty to notify authorities immediately when they discover a product they have placed on the market poses risks incompatible with the general safety requirement. This applies to all consumer products in Great Britain.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is the national regulator responsible for product safety. OPSS maintains the Product Safety Database and publishes recalls on the GOV.UK Product Recalls and Alerts page.

Primary legislation

General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/1803)

Notification requirement (Regulation 9)

Producers and distributors must notify an enforcement authority immediately (forthwith) when they know a product poses risks incompatible with the general safety requirement

Who must notify

Producers (manufacturers, own-branders, UK importers) and distributors who know the product poses a risk

Notification recipient

Local Trading Standards authority (enforcement authority), who must immediately pass notification to OPSS

Product Safety Database

The UK Product Safety Database (PSD) is used for reporting unsafe products to OPSS

Regulator

Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business and Trade

Information required in notification
Under Regulation 9 of the GPSR, notifications must include information enabling the product to be identified precisely, a full description of the risks the product presents, and all available information to trace the product. The notification must also include details of any action already taken to prevent risks to consumers.

Product identification

Information enabling precise identification of the product (model, batch, serial numbers)

Risk description

Full description of the risks the product presents to consumers

Traceability information

All available information relevant to tracing the product through the supply chain

Action taken

Details of any action already taken to prevent risks to consumers

Notification timing

Immediately (forthwith) upon becoming aware of the risk

Types of corrective action
Businesses may take different levels of corrective action depending on risk severity:
Stop sale - Halt further distribution of the product
Withdrawal - Remove product from the supply chain (wholesalers, retailers)
Recall - Retrieve product from consumers who have already purchased it
A recall is the most extensive corrective action and is typically required for serious or high-risk products that could cause injury.

Stop sale

Halt further distribution - prevents new sales but does not retrieve existing stock

Withdrawal

Remove product from trade supply chain - stock recalled from retailers and wholesalers

Recall

Retrieve product from end consumers - requires public notification and return mechanism

When recall required

Products presenting serious risk to consumers, especially if already sold to the public

Consumer remedies

Repair, replacement, or adequate refund must be offered for recalled products

Consumer notification requirements
When conducting a product recall, businesses must take all reasonable steps to notify consumers who may have purchased the product. PAS 7100:2022 (British Standards Institution Code of Practice) provides guidance on effective recall communications.

Notification channels

Company website, social media, press releases, point-of-sale notices, direct contact where customer records exist

GOV.UK publication

Serious or high-risk product recalls are published on GOV.UK Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls

Recall notice content

Product description, hazard identified, risk to consumers, clear instructions on what to do, contact details for remedy

Best practice guidance

PAS 7100:2022 - Product recall and other corrective actions (Code of practice) from BSI

Retailers' duty

Retailers must not supply products subject to recall and should display recall notices where appropriate

Record keeping requirements
Producers must maintain records to enable product traceability. This is essential for identifying affected products and contacting consumers in the event of a recall.

Complaints register

Regulations require producers to consider keeping a register of complaints concerning product safety

Traceability records

Records of suppliers and customers to enable product tracing through the supply chain

Technical documentation retention

Producers and authorised representatives must generally keep documentation for 10 years after placing the product on the market

Sample testing records

Records of sample testing and investigations into complaints

Recall records

Documentation of recall actions taken, consumer responses, and products recovered

Penalties for non-compliance
Failure to comply with the General Product Safety Regulations is a criminal offence. Enforcement authorities (Trading Standards and OPSS) can issue notices and prosecute businesses that fail to take appropriate action.

Maximum penalty (indictment)

Up to 12 months imprisonment and/or fine up to £20,000 for placing unsafe products on the market or failing to notify

Maximum penalty (summary conviction)

Up to 3 months imprisonment and/or fine up to statutory maximum

Enforcement notices

Trading Standards can issue suspension notices, withdrawal notices, and recall notices requiring action

Recall notice (Regulation 15)

Enforcement authority can require a person to use reasonable endeavours to organise return of products from consumers

Civil liability

Under Consumer Protection Act 1987, producers face strict liability for damage caused by defective products - no need to prove negligence

Safety Gate notification (for EU market)
If a product that poses a serious risk has been or could be placed on the EU market, businesses should also be aware of the EU Safety Gate system (formerly RAPEX). For products sold in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework, EU product safety rules apply and notifications to Safety Gate may be required.

Safety Gate (formerly RAPEX)

EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food consumer products

Northern Ireland

EU General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988 applies under the Windsor Framework

OPSS role

OPSS acts as UK Product Safety Contact Point and coordinates with EU Safety Gate where appropriate

OECD GlobalRecalls portal

International database that aggregates recall data from UK, EU, US, Canada, and other jurisdictions

Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls (opens in a new tab)
How to manage a product recall

Full guide to your notification obligations, working with Trading Standards and OPSS, the recall process step by step, and consumer communication requirements.
Withdraw or recall the product

Withdrawal removes the product from the supply chain before it reaches consumers. Recall retrieves products already sold to consumers. For serious risk products, a full consumer recall is required. Cooperate fully with Trading Standards on the appropriate level of action -- voluntary cooperation is always better than enforcement.

Prepare a clear recall notice that identifies the affected product, explains the hazard in plain language, tells consumers to stop using it, and offers a remedy (repair, replacement, or refund) at no cost to them.
Understand your legal exposure

A product safety incident creates both criminal and civil liability risks. Criminal prosecution can follow from breaching the General Product Safety Regulations or the Consumer Protection Act 1987. Civil claims from injured consumers operate under strict liability -- they do not need to prove you were at fault, only that the product was defective and caused damage.

Product safety penalties and enforcement

Reference guide to criminal penalties, enforcement notices, and the new civil penalty powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025.

Product liability and insurance

How strict liability works in practice, what statutory defences are available, and why products liability insurance is essential for your business.
Prevent it happening again

Once the immediate incident is resolved, conduct an internal review. Identify the root cause of the defect, assess whether your quality control processes should have caught it earlier, and update your testing and inspection procedures. Document everything. If you supply other markets, check whether the same product needs action there.

Notify your products liability insurer of the incident if you have not already done so. Many policies require prompt notification as a condition of cover.

Respond to a product safety incident

You have a product safety problem

Stop supply and assess the risk

Notify Trading Standards and OPSS

How to manage a product recall

Withdraw or recall the product

Understand your legal exposure

Product safety penalties and enforcement

Product liability and insurance

Prevent it happening again

Related journeys

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