Safety Information for Customers

Shop Talk
1

I am curious as to what sort of health and safety-related information is provided by Folksy sellers in their packaging for various products ?

I sell a few picture magnets, really only as a small item to go along with selling wall-art and handmade cards, and have a note that ‘…not suitable for children under the age of six…’, which reiterates the magnet suppliers advice.

However, there are also large cellophane bags/plastic bags for larger items, which should have warning notices (ie to avoid suffocation), and some may have special paints, coatings, facepaints, or materials which need some advice, in some circumstances.

There was an article last year in the news which identified some face-paints from abroad (China ?), which contained lead, and other nasties. I advised someone that does a lot of face-painting, and she was horrified. Hers came from a reputable source.

It wasn’t that long ago that many products contained lead, chromium, asbestos. (Many of the radios that were made with Bakelite, had asbestos in them. Also in floor tiles, paints, you name it- it had it in there ).

Not intending to alarm people, and we have moved on in health and safety, but the biggest risk is probably from some far eastern foreign suppliers.

2

Like so call tabatian silver is often not silver at all.

You have to be very careful when buying anything metal from a non EU country as we have laws about cadmium, lead and nickel content.

I once bought a pair of pretty little embroidery scissor’s from a non EU country I used them once then notice a dreadful smell was coming from them. They were supposed to be stainless steel. I know what stainless steel smells like. The scissors didn’t smell of stainless steel but something very nastie. I had them tested and all sorts of nasty compounds where in them and they were disposed of.

We have to be very careful as just what we sell and just putting a warning on something like saying not suitable for under 3years , or use under supervision does not cover us if a little one gets hold of it and chokes. etc.

We would require liability insurance of course and best of all don’t sell something that could be a potential hazard.

If we do use plastic bags to wrap things there should be the warning of suffocation notice on the plastic bag.

Best way to protect ourselves is not use anything or make anything that could be a safety issue.

Also if you use an kind of stuffing best to state what it is made of in case a potential buyer might need the information due to allergies. If you use animal based yarns, cotton or acrylic or mix fibre yarns/materials these need to be listed.

Any thing that goes onto the skin ie soaps, face scrubs etc etc should also have their ingredients listed for the same reason as with any food item.

Stating that by wearing something can improve or cure something is considered false advertising unless it’s backed by the British Medical council.

So if you say “wear this blue stone and it will protect you from colds” that’s classified as false advertising. But what you can say is, "Some people believe wearing this blue stone might protect them from colds. "

If you are making lamps for example and including all the wiring, That needs to be done by a Electrical tester, that electrical tester could be the seller but that seller has to hold the correct certificate. There should be a tag attached saying it’s been tested and conforms to the code. etc etc. I saw some lovely handmade lamp stands with the electrical fitting and was very tempted to buy one but no where in the listing did it say anything about Electrical testing. So I didn’t buy.

So yes we should know the laws pretending to what we make and sell as I’m sure non of us wants to cause harm to our customers or potentially end up in court.

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3

It always amazes me how many people sell soft toys on here but don’t mention if the item is CE approved - if people have gone to the trouble of having their toys tested and approved then surely it’s worth mentioning in every listing? (No good relying on just adding it to your ‘Meet the Maker’ section - that rarely gets read!)

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4

(sorry - off at a slight tangent!)

I was trawling ebay yesterday looking for the metal clip that’s found on dummy clips (I couldn’t think what the clip would be called, but knew I’d seen them on those)
I thought beaded dummy holders were illegal - that’s certainly what I’ve been telling people - but I think they’re only advised against at the moment.

Anyway… saw a fantastic listing for one such item:
“Great idea for births/Christenings… ideal for making sure your baby/toddler does not lose or drop their dummy (saving you sterilizing time and money on replacement dummies)…Not a toy, it is intended as an ideal accessory for every baby doll or collectable baby doll, this clip is not a toy and unsuitable for babies and children…Contains small parts, not suitable for babies or children under 3 years…These dummy clips are tested by me but are not externally tested, if there is any sign of wear and tear please discard straight away! By purchasing this item the buyer assumes all responsibility for its use.”

So Not suitable for children under three (who exactly is the target market?) not suitable for real children (again…?) but great for babies! (?)

And it’s not a one off - there are thousands of these things knocking about. It worries me…

5

An interesting read and a subject that is often on my mind as I make small items that contain seed beads, charms, brooch backs etc - all having potential issues. Every listing includes wording saying that small items may have been used and that the purchaser needs to exercise caution when purchasing for or giving to young ones. I decided to word it like this as in my view “young ones” can mean those older than 3 years, as even older youngsters could hurt themselves on a brooch pin etc. The same wording is in profile/meet the maker section too. The same label is also attached to each individually packaged item when mailed out but I’m going to update this now warning to keep all packaging away from children too.

Elaine

6

oh dear all that is just nonsense should be reported. Heath and safety Trading Standards will get that listing pulled if you send them the link.

Was it from a shop outside the EU as well by any chance?

7

I have a feeling it was shipping from Scotland…

8

You cannot pass health and safety responsibility onto others in this way !
One must be reasonable in any guidance, and it must comply with EU law.

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9

I agree. Same with toiletries - if you have them assessed (as required by law) - then say so, otherwise what is the point of all the time & money that goes into them if you don’t also offer customer assurance

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10

In fact, if the toys are Not CE certificated, they should not be sold, as this is against the law. Items which are toys (whether they are for children specifically, or could just be played with - and the scope for this should be checked by the seller with Trading Standards), they must carry a CE safety test certification. The certificate should be displayed with the item for sale - so one of your photos should show the CE certificate.
I’m sure this applies to other types of goods too. If your item may need to be safety checked, then you have a legal responsibility to find out if it should be tested and arrange for the testing to be done.
Trading Standards have the information that you need. They have a website and a telephone contact.
If you sell non CE items online (which should carry CE certification), you can be prosecuted.

2 Likes
11

I didn’t dare even mention the amount of toys sold without any safety testing etc - I would have gone off on a major rant! Sadly so many people are totally unaware of the legalities of selling, whether it be CE testing of toys, registering with HMRC etc