Product safety
This includes, in particular, toys, personal protective equipment, appliances and products for home and leisure, sports equipment, machinery, gas appliances and much more.
Manufacturers, importers and distributors may only place safe products on the market. They are responsible for ensuring that their products are such that users and third parties are protected from hazards to life and health. This is a significant contribution to the preventive protection of consumers, employees and patients. The safety standard is based on EU regulations and EU directives as well as European standards that govern the free movement of goods in the internal market.
Cross-border cooperation
Since 1993, with the introduction of the European Single Market, the monitoring activities of the labor inspectorates at the governments have been cross-border. Information on safety defects in products is exchanged throughout the EU.
To ensure that only safe products that meet high European standards are placed on the market (i.e. enter the trade), the Bavarian Trade Inspectorate performs the following tasks in particular.
The trade supervisory authority
- advises manufacturers and importers on issues relating to CE marking of technical products (declaration that the requirements of relevant EU regulations or EU directives regarding the nature of the product are met), European safety standards and conformity assessment procedures,
- inspects technical products at trade fairs, exhibitions, in retail outlets - including online trading - by means of targeted spot checks,
- inspects technical products on a case-by-case basis at the manufacturer's, dealer's or importer's premises,
- participates as a consumer protection authority in the EU-wide rapid information system and
- withdraws unsafe products from circulation.
If you have questions about the safety requirements of technical products, or if you suspect that a product does not meet the prescribed safety requirements, you can contact the Trade Inspection Office at the government directly. As an instrument for the exchange of information on unsafe products and product risks, the Internet-based Information and Communication System for Europe-wide Market Surveillance of Technical Products (ICSMS) (see "Online Procedure") is available to consumers and the authorities.
If you select a location under "Localization" the contact details of the responsible authority and, if applicable, locally valid information will be displayed.