Those of you who’ve been following our updates on the Office for Product Safety and Standard’s (OPSS) Product Safety Review will remember we submitted our response to the consultation on behalf of our members back in November.

As part of the King’s Speech earlier this month, we’re pleased to report that the new UK Government proposes to present the Product Safety and Metrology Bill, a critical piece of legislation that will affect all businesses involved in manufacturing, importing, and selling products in the UK.

What does this mean for us? Progressing the Bill means the UK Government will address ‘modern day safety issues’, which includes ensuring a level playing field between the high street and online marketplaces. This has been a fundamental ask of ours throughout our ongoing ‘Step Up to Safe Ladders’ campaign, where we’ve seen first hand the issues of unsafe and dangerous ladders being sold online, with little or no recourse.

The Bill will give the OPSS greater regulatory powers to hold manufacturers, importers and now, online marketplaces, accountable for the safety of the products they’re selling, and be able to take the necessary enforcement action to keep ladder users safe.

We will keep you updated as the Bill progresses.

In the meantime, this article offers some further reading >