Earlier this year, the UK Government announced the establishment of the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards. This is a landmark development for the regulation of product safety in the UK, which will have long-lasting implications across the whole of Europe.
The decentralised enforcement structure in the UK, with day to day responsibility at local government level, is being retained, with the new Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) providing a supporting role, giving technical support, expertise and guidance, and getting directly involved in specific issues of national and international importance.
The new agency will be based in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and with an annual budget of £12 million (US$16.6 million) is likely to be active and reinforce the UK’s position as a leader in the international product safety community. With Brexit on the near horizon, this will set the scene for how product safety will be enforced in the years ahead.
Check back to keep updated on the activities of the OPSS.
More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-new-office-for-product-safety-and-standards
