General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)

Complete guide to the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR)

The Man Store is sharing this article from 24:Hour for readers who sell products in the European Union (EU). The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is EU law and applies to products made available to consumers in the EU. It is not a US rule, and OSHA, which handles US workplace safety, does not enforce it.

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) is a crucial piece of legislation designed to ensure that products sold within the European Union (EU) are safe for consumers. With the growth of global trade and the diversification of product lines, it is essential that businesses, manufacturers, and importers stay informed about GPSR requirements.

This guide offers an in-depth look at the GPSR, detailing its core obligations, the stakeholders it impacts, and practical steps businesses can take to maintain compliance, safeguard consumers, and uphold their brand reputation.

The GPSR in brief

The formal name is Regulation (EU) 2023/988 on general product safety. It applies from 13 December 2024 and replaced the earlier General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC).

• Scope: consumer products placed or made available on the EU market, including online and other distance sales aimed at consumers in the EU. Where another EU law already covers a product’s safety, the GPSR applies only to the risks that law leaves out.
• Professional-use products: a product designed for professional use that ends up with consumers can fall within the regulation.
• A responsible party in the EU: products in scope need an economic operator established in the EU who acts as the contact point for market surveillance authorities.

Because the GPSR is one country-group’s law, “global product safety regulations” has no single answer: other countries, including the United States and Canada, have their own rules. This page covers only the EU regulation. It is educational, not legal advice; whether it applies to a product depends on the product, the seller and the market, so check the regulation’s text or ask a qualified adviser.

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