Businesses will soon be required to notify the ACCC when they become aware of products that cause injury, illness, or death.
According to the ACCC, this new mandatory product safety reporting requirements will take effect on 1 January 2011.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Deputy Chair, Peter Kell said, “The mandatory reporting requirement means businesses need processes to track and take action on consumer complaints promptly. The reporting requirement was introduced to enable potential product safety hazards to be identified more readily, enabling a more rapid and targeted response to emerging safety issues.”
“Suppliers will have to notify the ACCC within two days of learning that a consumer good or product related service they have supplied has caused, or may cause, serious injury, illness or death.”
“To help suppliers prepare, the ACCC has today issued draft guidelines on the new requirement, for comment. In addition, the ACCC will engage directly with suppliers and supplier intermediaries at a number of forums to be held later in the year,” continued Kell.
Information on the mandatory reporting requirements is available at www.productsafety.gov.au/mandatoryreporting.