• In 2021, UOKiK has submitted 158 notifications concerning more than 1.9 million pieces of dangerous products to the Safety Gate/RAPEX system.
• Most notifications concerned toys – 101, vehicles – 22, and electrical appliances and lighting equipment – 17.
• Magnetic beads with excessive magnetic force, USB chargers that pose a risk of electrocution, car lifts that can collapse with the weight of a vehicle – these are examples of products that we have removed from the market, while also reporting them to the Safety Gate/RAPEX system.

The Safety Gate/RAPEX (Rapid Exchange of Information System) is the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products. Its main objective is to ensure good communication about hazardous products between EU Member States and the European Commission. The system also contains data on actions taken by the Member States or by entrepreneurs themselves to stop or limit the circulation of dangerous products. The Safety Gate/RAPEX system involves countries in the European Economic Area (the 27 EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

"Since the beginning of the EU Safety Gate system, UOKiK has served as a contact point. Our task is to manage the flow of information on dangerous products detected in the European Economic Area and respond to the notifications of other Member States, especially those which concern Polish entrepreneurs," explains Tomasz Chróstny, the President of UOKiK.

A contact point performs its tasks by, among other things, ordering inspections by the Trade Inspection, passing on information to other competent national inspection bodies (e.g. Sanitary Inspection) or transferring data on the results of the actions of those bodies against dangerous products (e.g. decisions of the President of the UOKiK).

Thanks to the Safety Gate/RAPEX platform, dangerous products can be quickly removed from the market.

"All year round, the Trade Inspection, operating under the President of UOKiK, checks the quality and safety of toys, furniture, tools and many other products available in Polish shops. We actively report dangerous products detected in our country. We also respond to the notifications of other countries. Our activities are impactful in the nationwide, but also European dimension and improve consumer safety," adds Tomasz Chróstny.

The Safety Gate/RAPEX system covers non-food products intended for and likely to be used by consumers. However, the register does not contain information on pharmaceutical products, medical devices, feed or food – the latter have their own system (RASFF).

MOST NOTIFICATIONS CONCERNED:

• Toys – 101
• Vehicles – 22
• electrical appliances and lighting equipment – 17]

Our actions in 2021

According to the European Commission's latest report on the functioning of RAPEX, the number of notifications concerning dangerous products has increased almost fivefold since 2013. In 2021, UOKiK has submitted 158 notifications on dangerous products to the system (in 2020, the number was 148), which places us 5th among the members of the system. In addition, we have responded to 436 cases of information from other countries, contributing to the withdrawal or recovery from consumers of dangerous products that had been made available on our market. This figure means we were 3rd among the members of the system. Last year, we have received 267 responses to our notifications, i.e. this is the number of times when products notified by Poland were also found on the markets of other Member States. This shows that the actions of UOKiK and the Trade Inspection have an impact on consumer safety in other countries as well.

Our most frequently notified products in 2021 included:

• toys: 101 notifications (64%) – we consider this market segment to be particularly vulnerable and it is an ongoing priority for UOKiK and the Trade Inspection; notifications related to toys concerned mainly design flaws or defects of the construction materials, including their chemical properties;
• vehicles: 22 notifications (14%) – these are notifications from automotive companies about repair campaigns related to the safety of vehicle operation; they concerned defects that can pose a danger to users (e.g. faulty safety belts, airbags);
• electrical and lighting equipment: 17 notifications (10%) – appliances commonly used in households that are also prone to create a serious risk, such as electrocution or fire.

In addition to these product groups, in 2021 UOKiK also notified the Safety Gate/RAPEX system of abnormalities in the following: machinery, pyrotechnic articles, textile products, personal protective equipment, sports equipment, children's articles and furniture.

Download the European Commission report summarising the Safety Gate/RAPEX system in 2021.

Consumer support:

Phone: 801 440 220 or 22 290 89 16 – consumer hotline
Email: [SCODE]cG9yYWR5QGRsYWtvbnN1bWVudG93LnBs[ECODE]
Consumer Ombudsmen – in your town or county
Trade Inspection – in your voivodeship

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa, Poland
Phone +48 695 902 088, +48 22 55 60 246
E-mail: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL