The Furniture Industry Research Association has published ‘The General Product Safety Directive, a guide to legislation and its application in the furniture industry’, which is the fourth guide released by the Research association thus far in 2019.
Authored by Suzie Radcliffe-Hart, technical manager at FIRA International (which is the service provider to the research association), the 43-page guide aims to support those from across the furniture industry in understanding the scope of the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). However it should be noted that the directive goes across every product and as such the guide can be further applied outside the sector.
Although an EU Directive, it’s anticipated that the GPSD, in the form of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, will remain as UK law post Brexit. Essentially the directive ensures that only safe products are sold on the market.
This includes new, second-hand and reconditioned products, as well as commercial products which may end up in a consumer’s house.
The directive also complements sector-specific legislation (such as the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988). Furthermore the directive governs processes for tracing potentially dangerous products on the market to ensure they can be traced and removed to avoid any risks to consumers.
‘The General Product Safety Directive, a guide to legislation and its application in the furniture industry’ is available at no charge to members of the Furniture Industry Research association from www.fira.co.uk/GPSD. Non-members can purchase the guide for £125+VAT via http://bookshop.trada.co.uk/article/view/73
