There’s been strong demand for tickets to the Electrical Safety Council’s (ESC) Product Safety Conference, which is being held in London, on 16th May. This year the Conference theme is protecting consumers through a 360° approach, with a key element of the event being a review of recall processes and ’traceability’ – i.e. how recalls are tracked within the supply chain and to the consumer.
“Our research has shown that, in the last six years, 250 products – from mobile phone chargers to fridge freezers and dishwashers – have been recalled”, explains Martyn Allen, Head of Technical at the ESC. “But the average success rate for these recalls is around 10 – 20% - with most of them at the lower end of the scale. “We have also found that around two million adults have knowingly ignored a recall notice, with one in three claiming they would not return a recalled product if it was too inconvenient. This lack of awareness is in contrast with the reality – recalled products have been known to cause severe injury and even death”.
Other Conference presentations will cover safety design principles for foreseeable misuse and the communication of risk in consumer protection. There will be a keynote speech from Malcolm Harbour CBE, MEP and Chair of the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee. Other speakers include representatives from major retailers, manufacturers and trade associations, including Dyson, Bosch, AMDEA, Recall UK and the British Retail Consortium.
Over the last couple of years product safety has become an increasing concern for the ESC, which has recently undertaken a review of product recall models and systems. “We have been looking at how we can significantly improve the traceability and recall process, particularly in relation to improving traceability to consumers”, adds Martyn. “However, for this to work, we need the comprehensive support of the electrical industry – so a key aim of the Conference is to gather a wide audience, covering the entire supply chain, to discuss these product safety issues”. To book your place, or find out more about the conference, visit: esc.org.uk