Smarter regulation: UK product safety review

Smarter regulation: UK product safety review: IET comments to the Department for Business and Trade on 19 October 2023.

Our consultation response focuses on measures to improve safety with regards to Li-ion batteries and related battery management systems, chargers and conversion kits.  This is because of the growing threat to life and property from fires due to the thermal runaway hazards of Li-ion related products, especially in Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

Our key recommendations to enhance consumer safety are:

• Regulation and stronger enforcement measures to prevent the manufacture, marketing and sale of unsafe Li-ion batteries and related products in / to the UK.
• Greater accountability by online marketplaces for the safety of all listed products, backed up by enforcement penalties.
• The development of a proportionate standard that defines a suitable level of functionality in a mandatory battery management system to ensure Li-ion products are safe.
• Centralised UK data to ascertain the relationship between the growth in PLEV fires, their increase in circulation and the growth in use of unsafe / old equipment.
• The mandatory use of easily understood e-labelling at manufacturer level with enforcement powers for regulators.
• Overall responsibility given to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) for enforcing safety standards for all consumer products in the UK market, including online marketplaces. This would give consumers a single point of contact for redress.
• Greater OPSS involvement with international alert systems for dangerous products, such as Safety Gate. Both the OPSS and international systems need sufficient staff and financial resources to operate effectively to raise consumer awareness levels and change purchase behaviours.