Product safety
Standards in this sector vary considerably across the world leading to confusion and unnecessary cost. COPOLCO is helping to resolve consumer product safety problems related to standards.
The increasing volume of cross-border trade has spurred COPOLCO to propose international guidelines on product recall to harmonize divergent national practices. Furthermore, COPOLCO has proposed the development of a practical guide for suppliers to address safety issues in consumer products at all phases in their life cycle.
COPOLCO is also monitoring standardization related to the emerging technology - nanotechnology - and its potential impact on consumers. Nanotechnologies cover a variety of fields of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale. It requires the integration of many scientific, engineering and technical disciplines and International Standards contribute at three levels: assisting the innovation process, addressing the challenges in measurement at the nanoscale, and helping to alleviate concerns over potential health and environmental impacts.
Personal flotation devices and floating leisure articles may present a significant drowning risk. ISO and CEN (European Committee for Standardization) are developing water safety standards. One crucial issue is towable devices where serious and fatal accidents have occurred.
Cross-border trade in second-hand goods presents many problems, especially in developing countries where unsafe products may be dumped on unsuspecting populations. An ISO initiative originating with COPOLCO is addressing this by developing a general guide for use by standards development committees and has proposed a standard for cross-border trade of second-hand goods.
Food safety plays an important role in the trading, handling and application of food and food products. Governmental institutions need to ensure safe food supply at the international level, e.g. through the United Nations and its Codex Alimentarius Commission. Nonetheless voluntary standards play a growing role in the food sector.
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