New standard helps businesses raise the bar on safety

20 November 2017
New standard helps businesses raise the bar on product safety

Businesses involved in design, manufacture, and distribution have another product safety tool to draw on, with a new standard offered free for the first time to businesses.

“The best way for businesses to ensure they sell safe products and to avoid a costly and time-consuming product safety recall, is to have a thorough product safety process in place,” says Trading Standards Team Leader Martin Rushton.

“The standard, called NZS ISO 10377:2017 Consumer Product Safety – Guidelines for Suppliers, guides businesses on how to ensure every stage of the product lifecycle - from product design, manufacturing, distribution, all the way to the shop shelf - has been enacted safely and is traceable.

“The standard is particularly ideal for New Zealand’s small-to-medium sized businesses who might have limited resources and time, but still want to ensure their product-to-market processes are protecting consumers and their business. It’s been tailored for New Zealand businesses and is compatible with mandatory standards that exist for specific products.

“To encourage uptake of the standard, Trading Standards worked with Standards New Zealand to ensure business owners are able to access the standard free of charge.

“Having strong safety processes in place reduces the risk to consumers, strengthens an organisation’s reputation and brand, and reduces the risk of product recalls.

“At a time when retail sales lift, Christmas is an excellent time to adopt the standard and let consumers know your products are a safe buy,” says Mr Rushton.
Businesses can access the standard and further supporting information here, at the Consumer Protection website.

ENDS

© Scoop Media