Description
Product safety
This includes, in particular, toys, personal protective equipment, home and leisure equipment, sports equipment, machinery, gas appliances and much more.
Manufacturers and distributors may only place safe technical products on the market. They are responsible for ensuring that their products are designed in such a way 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 the EU directives and the 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 such as household appliances, sports equipment and toys 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 the relevant EU directives regarding the quality of the product are met), European safety standards and the conformity assessment procedure,
- inspects technical products at trade fairs and exhibitions and in the retail trade 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 Europe-wide EU rapid information system and
- withdraws unsafe products from circulation.
If you have questions about the quality requirements of technical products, or if you suspect that a product does not meet the prescribed safety-related quality requirements, you can contact the industrial inspectorate directly at the government of your administrative district. 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 authorities.
If you select a location under "Localization" the contact details of the responsible authority and, if applicable, locally valid information will be displayed.