In this guide, we list examples of products that are covered by the General Product Safety Regulation. By reading this guide, you also learn about the different product categories for which a harmonised standard exists under the regulation, the significance of a harmonised standard, and what you should do when selling products that are not covered by such standards.
Product List Creation Methodology
In this guide, we list product categories for which there exist one or more harmonised standards referenced under the General Product Safety Directive, and provide examples of covered products and relevant standards. Note that, according to the General Product Safety Regulation, such standards also provide a presumption of conformity with the safety requirements laid down by the regulation.
Harmonised standards are generally necessary to comply with the safety requirements set by the regulation. Applying a harmonised standard would mean that your product is presumed to be safe, as explained in Article 7 of the regulation:
1. For the purpose of this Regulation, a product shall be presumed to be in conformity with the general safety requirement laid down in Article 5 of this Regulation in the following cases:
(a) it conforms to relevant European standards or parts thereof as far as the risks and risk categories covered by those standards are concerned, the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union in accordance with Article 10(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012; or
(b) in the absence of any relevant European standards as referred to in point (a) of this paragraph, the product conforms to national requirements, as regards the risks and risk categories covered by health and safety requirements laid down in the national law of the Member State in which it is made available on the market, provided that such law is in compliance with Union law.
Content Overview
FREE CONSULTATION CALL (US, EU & UK)
- Request a free 30-minute call with Ivan Malloci to learn how we can help you with:
- Find product requirements
- Certification and labeling
- Lab testing
Furniture (General)
The regulation covers furniture products. To satisfy its requirements, manufacturers should consider the safety aspects of their products. For example, for upholstered furniture safety concerns relating to the flammability properties of the materials is a consideration. On the other hand, stability may be important for chairs, drawers, and other products.
Note that we cover children’s furniture in another section of this guide.
Examples
Here are examples of furniture products that are covered by the General Product Safety Regulation:
- Foldaway beds for domestic use
- Outdoor seating for camping, domestic and contract use
- Tables for camping, domestic and contract use
Standards
EN 1129-1 – Furniture – Foldaway beds – Safety requirements and testing – Part 1: Safety requirements
EN 1129-2 – Furniture – Foldaway beds – Safety requirements and testing – Part 2: Test methods
EN 581-1 – Outdoor furniture – Seating and tables for camping, domestic and contract use – Part 1: General safety requirements
Children’s furniture
The regulation covers children’s furniture products, and associated risks. For example, young children may be placed in elevated positions when using stools or cribs. Thus, risks surrounding the stability of the furniture product should be assessed against relevant safety standards. Other risks, such as flammability or substance restrictions, should also be taken into account.
Examples
Here are some examples of covered children’s furniture:
- Children’s cots and folding cots
- Cribs
- Mattresses for cots and cribs
- Children’s stools
- Bean bags
Standards
EN 716-1 – Furniture – Children’s cots and folding cots for domestic use – Part 1: Safety requirements
EN 1130 – Children’s furniture – Cribs – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 16890 – Children’s furniture – Mattresses for cots and cribs – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 17191 – Children’s Furniture – Seating for children – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 14988 – Children’s high chairs – Requirements and test methods
Children’s use and care articles
The General Product Safety Regulation covers children’s use and care articles. Depending on the product’s function and intended use, the safety of the product should be assessed considering that the users are generally toddlers and young children. This includes risks concerning small parts, entrapment, substance restrictions, and more.
Examples
Here are some examples of covered children’s use and care articles:
- Table mounted chairs
- Baby walking frames
- Soothers for babies and young children
- Reclined cradles
Standards
EN 1400 – Child use and care articles – Soothers for babies and young children – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 1272 – Child care articles – Table mounted chairs – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 1273 – Child use and care articles – Baby walking frames – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 1466 – Child use and care articles – Carry cots and stands – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 1930 – Child use and care articles – Safety barriers – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 12221-1 – Child use and care articles – Changing units for domestic use – Part 1: Safety requirements
EN 12790-1 – Child care articles – Reclined cradles – Part 1: Reclined cradles for children up to when they start to try to sit up
EN 13209-1 – Child use and care articles – Baby carriers – Safety requirements and test methods – Part 1: Framed back carriers
EN 14350-1 – Child use and care articles – Drinking equipment – Part 1: General and mechanical requirements and tests
EN 17022 – Child care articles – Bathing aids – Safety requirements and test methods
Children’s clothing
The General Product Safety Regulation covers children’s clothing. Certain clothing like children’s hoodies may contain drawstrings which carry with them risks of strangulation for certain age groups and should be assessed against the relevant safety standards.
Examples
Here are some examples of covered children’s clothing:
- Children’s clothing containing cords
- Children’s clothing containing drawstrings
Standards
EN 14682 – Safety of children’s clothing – Cords and drawstrings on children’s clothing – Specifications
Child protective products
The General Product Safety Regulation covers child protective products, including locking devices to prevent children from escaping certain exit points in a house.
As the risk of injury can be high if the product malfunctions, manufacturers should assess the product against safety standards to ensure that it functions as intended.
Examples
Here are some examples of Child protective products
- Locking devices for windows
- Locking devices for balcony doors
Standards
EN 16281– Child protective products – Consumer fitted child resistant locking devices for windows and balcony doors – Safety requirements and test methods
Fitness products
The General Product Safety Regulation applies to fitness products such as stationary training equipment and gymnastic equipment. The risk of injury can be high for fitness products, thus it is important to assess whether there are any safety standards available for your product.
Examples
Here are some examples of covered fitness products:
- Wall bars
- Hanging rings
- Strength training benches
Standards
EN 12346 – Gymnastic equipment – Wall bars, lattice ladders and climbing frames – Safety requirements and test methods
EN 12655 – Gymnastic equipment – Hanging rings – Functional and safety requirements, test methods
EN 957-4 – Stationary training equipment – Part 4: Strength training benches, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
Floating leisure articles and diving accessories
The General Product Safety Regulation covers floating leisure articles and diving accessories This is not to be confused with personal protective equipment products like life jackets which are covered by the Personal Protection Equipment Regulation.
Examples
Here is a list of articles that are covered by the regulation:
- Large floats/rafts
- Large floating tubes
- Floating armchairs, seats and sun beds
- Air mattresses for use on the water
Standards
EN ISO 25649 – Floating leisure articles for use on and in the water
EN 13319 – Diving accessories – Depth gauges and combined depth and time measuring devices – Functional and safety requirements, test methods
Electronic products
The Regulation covers electronic products, which may pose several risks such as electric shock or fire, in case of a short circuit or other issues. For example, manufacturers should assess the safeguards of the products (e.g. emergency stops) to prevent fires and other risks from arising from malfunctioning equipment.
Note that some safety aspects of electronic products may be covered by other regulations and directives. For example, the electrical safety of electronic products with an input/output voltage that is in the range of 50-1,000 V in AC and 75-1,500 V in DC is covered by the Low Voltage Directive.
Examples
Here are some examples of electronic products covered by the regulation:
- Audio/video equipment
- Office machines
- Cables
- Ports
- Consumer laser products
Standards
EN 62368 – Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment
EN 50689 – Safety of laser products – Particular Requirements for Consumer Laser Products
Bicycles
The regulation covers bicycles of many kinds like mountain and racing bicycles. Standards under the regulation contain test methods like braking and steering test methods to address safety issues commonly associated with bicycles.
Examples
Here are some examples of bicycles that are covered:
- Young adult bicycles
- Trekking bicycles
- Racing bicycles
- Mountain bicycles
Standards
EN ISO 4210 – Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles
EN ISO 8098 – Cycles – Safety requirements for bicycles for young children
EN ISO 11243 – Cycles – Luggage carriers for bicycles – Requirements and test methods
Lighters
The regulation covers lighters. For example, standards under this regulation contain test methods like mechanical test methods to prevent consumers, including children, from burning themselves while using a lighter.
Examples
Here are examples of covered lighter products:
- Cigarette lighters
- Cigar lighters
- Pipe lighters
Standards
EN 13869 – Lighters – Child safety requirements for lighters – Safety requirements and test methods
EN ISO 9994 – Lighters – Safety specification
FAQ
Are standards harmonised under the General Product Safety Regulation mandatory?
In theory, harmonised standards are not strictly mandatory. This is because the regulation also allows the application of other methods (e.g. other standards) to comply with its safety requirements.
However, by applying the harmonised standards, your product is presumed to meet the safety requirements of the regulation. Thus, in practice, you should comply with these standards to ensure that your product is safe.
Is the General Product Safety Regulation only applicable to products for which harmonised standards exist?
No, the regulation claims that all products should be safe. Also, if a product is seen as dangerous by one EU member state, all other states will presume it to be dangerous. This may result in expensive recalls and fines.
If a product is not covered by a harmonised standard, you should assess the product against other safety standards, guidelines, or other documents. Note that the regulation exempts some products, such as food or medicines.
How does the General Product Safety Regulation apply to products for which harmonised standards do not exist?
There are other standards and documents that you can take into consideration when assessing the safety aspects of the product if harmonised standards do not exist. Here we provide some examples that are mentioned in Article 8 of the regulation:
- National requirements
- Non-harmonised EN standards
- International standards
- International agreements
What can we do if there are no standards at all for a product?
If there are no standards that exist for your product, you can still consider:
a. EU recommendations or guidelines on product safety
b. State of the art and technology
c. Product safety codes
d. Reasonable consumer expectations concerning safety. Note that sometimes you may need to define your own safety criteria that can apply to the product as a whole or its parts. For instance, you could come up with your own test method based on “what is generally expected”.
It is in your interest as a business to ensure that your products are safe to avoid potential recalls and fines. Standards provide a pathway, but ultimately it’s the physical properties of the products that matter.
According to this regulation for all products, manufacturers and importers will have to indicate on the product or packaging or the documents accompanying the product.
Is it the commercial invoice an “he documents accompanying the product” ?
what are the exception products from this regulation?