Make safe, buy safe, sell safe
If you supply businesses and consumers with goods and product-related services in Australia, you must comply with product-safety requirements under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Everyone in the supply chain must keep up-to-date with the ACL – including suppliers, manufacturers, importers, distributors, hirers and retailers.
Get it right from the beginning. Whether you manufacture, import or purchase your stock from local suppliers, you must ensure the products you purchase are safe and meet Australian product-safety standards. Relying solely on statements by the manufacturer and supplier that the products are safe is not a substitute for implementing your own quality checks or procedures. For information on quality-assurance measures and testing methods, view A Guide for Product Testing page on the Product Safety Australia website.
There are mandatory safety and information standards that set specific requirements that consumer goods and product-related services must meet before they can be supplied.
Whether you manufacture, import or purchase your stock from local suppliers, you must ensure the products you purchase are safe and meet Australian product-safety standards.
Mandatory safety standards apply to products that can pose hazards – such as childrens toys and safety equipment – and require them to comply with particular rules relating to performance, composition, contents, methods of manufacture or processing, design, construction, finish or packaging.
Mandatory information standards, such as the inclusion of warning labels, provide consumers with information to help them decide whether a good or product-related service is appropriate for them.
For more information, view the mandatory safety and information standards page at Product Safety Australia.
Our Product Safety Guide can also help you recognise and avoid unsafe products. To download a copy of the guide, view the Product Safety section on the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.
What happens if the product is unsafe?
If a product does not meet a safety standard, or is proven to have potential to cause injury or death, it can be banned and/or recalled. An order can also be made to destroy or otherwise dispose of it. Visit the Bans page on the Product Safety Australia website for a full list of banned items.
If you recall a product, you must notify the Commonwealth Minister within 48 hours. For more information, view the Submit a recall page on the Product Safety Recalls Australia website.
This content was provided by Consumer Affairs Victoria.
