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Information and public services for the Island of Jersey

L'înformâtion et les sèrvices publyis pouor I'Île dé Jèrri

Providing safe products to your customers: information for businesses and suppliers

Supplying consumer goods

Under the Consumer Safety (Jersey) Law 2006, all consumer goods must be safe to use. This includes goods that you:

  • sell
  • hire
  • part exchange
  • give to consumer free of charge

Goods are split in 2 categories:

  • consumer goods
  • not consumer goods

Consumer goods

Consumer goods are those ordinarily used by consumers and can be new or second-hand.

The law also covers products a consumer will use as part of a service. For example, gym equipment in a gym or high chairs provided to children in a restaurant.

Not consumer goods

Not consumer goods are not covered by this law. These include:

  • tobacco
  • second-hand goods supplied as antiques
  • second-hand goods supplied for the purpose of repair or reconditioning before being used. You must tell the buyer that the goods are for that purpose

Defining a safe product

A safe product is a product that does not present any unnecessary risk to the person using it as long as it is used in a normal way.

The following will be taken into account (among other things):

  • the packaging, all accompanying instructions and any other labelling
  • the effect of the product on other products that it might be used with
  • the person likely to be using the product, eg children having access to small parts

A framework for assessing safety

When assessing the safety of a product, we'll consider:

  • safety requirements set by the UK or European law
  • any voluntary Jersey standard or voluntary UK national standards, including European standard
  • recommendations of the European Community setting guidelines on the safety of goods
  • industry codes of good practice
  • the level of technology involved (only for state of the art goods)
  • reasonable consumer expectations about safety

Safety orders

If a product must already meet the requirements of an existing Jersey Safety Order, then it must follow that order. For example, motorcycle helmets.

Consumer safety (Motorcycle helmets) Order 2006 on the Jersey Law website 

What suppliers need to do

Your obligations under the law depends on if you're either a:

  • distributor
  • producer

Distributors

You're a distributor if you sell consumer goods, supply or wholesale. You must meet certain obligations including passing on all of the warnings and instructions that come with the goods.

Product safety: information for distributors

Producers

You're a producer if you make your own goods or import consumer goods into the Island. You must meet certain obligations including traceability and monitoring requirements.

Product safety for producers

Safety guides

You can find a range of safety guides on the Business Companion website in the product safety section. These include:

  • cosmetic products
  • electrical equipment
  • fireworks
  • food imitation
  • goods in rented accommodation
  • jewellery safety (metal content)
  • mini motos
  • off-road vehicles
  • new and second-hand prams and pushchairs
  • new nightwear
  • new upholstered furniture
  • ornamental and novelty giftware
  • part-worn tyres
  • second-hand electrical goods
  • second-hand gas cooking appliances
  • second-hand upholstered furniture
  • toys

Exporting goods to another country

If you're exporting consumer goods to other countries, you should make sure the goods comply with the relevant safety standards of that country.

Due diligence

You should carry out due diligence checks to make sure that your business is protected from breaches of the law.

You can find guidance on product safety due diligence on the Business Companion website including:

  • due diligence principles
  • CE marking
  • test reports

Safety notices

If you have not fulfilled your obligations under the law, we have access to a range of measures to remove the risk to consumer safety. These are known as safety notices.

We only use safety notices when voluntary actions have not removed the risk.

Safety notices (Trading Standards)

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