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Keeping your customers safe
As a small business owner, you play a crucial role in ensuring the products you sell are safe for consumers to use.
By knowing about product safety and making sure you’re following any applicable regulations, you can protect your customers, your business, and your reputation.
Why product safety matters
Product safety is essential for protecting consumers from potential harm.
There are voluntary standards for many products and some products have mandatory safety standards. Voluntary standards set out best practice, and mandatory standards set out legal requirements for:
- materials and construction: This covers the composition, contents, manufacturing methods, design, construction, finish or packaging of the product.
- testing: Products may need to undergo specific tests from an accredited testing facility during and after manufacturing to ensure they pass all tests specified in the standard.
- labelling and instructions: The form and content of any markings, warnings and instructions on the product are crucial for safe product use.
How to know which standards apply
Check out the official sources of product safety standards and regulations.
- Mandatory product safety standards(external link) — Product Safety
- Unsafe goods notices(external link) — Product Safety
- Safety standards are provided by Standards New Zealand or equivalent overseas agencies.
Two products to pay attention to this winter
This winter keep in mind these two products that must meet mandatory product safety standards.
- Hot water bottles: These must comply with the British Safety Standard BS 1970:2012. This standard ensures proper manufacturing, safety features like daisy wheels, and clear safety information on the product and packaging. Hot water bottles that don’t meet these standards pose a serious risk of burns.
- Children's nightwear: Children's nightwear (sizes 00-14), including some daywear, must comply with AS/NZS 1249:2014 and carry the correct fire safety label. The label reminds caregivers of fire hazards and helps reduce the risk of injuries from accidental fire contact.
Anyone supplying, offering, or advertising children’s nightwear, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers and even those selling second-hand items online, must make sure the nightwear has a correct fire safety label.
Unsafe product
Here is one product to keep in mind this winter that WorkSafe NZ has found is unsafe:
- Serene S2068 bathroom heater: Selling, installing, or even using this model has been banned by WorkSafe NZ. This product has been recalled.
Serene S2068 bathroom heater(external link) — Product Safety
More information
For further information and resources on product safety standards, visit the Commerce Commission's website.
Product safety standards(external link) — Commerce Commission
Standards New Zealand provides safety standards.