Australian businesses must begin preparing now for new mandatory product safety reporting requirements that take effect from 1 January 2011, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Peter Kell has warned.
"From 1 January 2011 businesses will be required to notify the ACCC when they become aware that a product they have supplied has caused, or may have caused, serious injury, illness or death," he said.
"The mandatory reporting requirement means businesses need processes to track and take action on consumer complaints promptly.
"The reporting requirement was introduced to enable potential product safety hazards to be identified more readily, enabling a more rapid and targeted response to emerging safety issues.
"Suppliers will have to notify the ACCC within two days of learning that a consumer good or product related service they have supplied has caused, or may cause, serious injury, illness or death.
"To help suppliers prepare, the ACCC has today issued draft guidelines on the new requirement, for comment. In addition, the ACCC will engage directly with suppliers and supplier intermediaries at a number of forums to be held later in the year.
"I urge all suppliers to engage in the consultation process and begin preparing for the implementation of the new laws now. Information on the mandatory reporting requirements is available at www.productsafety.gov.au/mandatoryreporting. Business can also keep up-to-date on developments via Twitter: @ProductSafetyAU."
The reporting reform is one of a number implemented over the past year to improve Australia's product safety system following a 2006 Productivity Commission review. The review noted suppliers often had access to more information about their products than government, and that government's ability to respond to existing and emerging hazards could be improved with greater, and faster, access to relevant product safety information. The mandatory reporting requirement was recommended to address this issue.