Supporting Commons Business Committee Recommendation

Specialist lawyers have welcomed calls for an independent product safety regulator in England and Wales.

The Commons Business Committee made the recommendation this week after it found that Whirlpool had deflected concerns on fire-prone tumble dryers and was too slow to recall and fix the machines at risk.

The committee reported that the manufacturer had used non-disclosure agreements, asking customers affected to sign them in order to receive compensations to which they were entitled.

Legal experts at national firm Irwin Mitchell are encouraged by the recommendation to create a truly independent agency to deal with the product safety.  The firm has represented hundreds of clients who have suffered injuries and damage to property as a result of defective products.

Expert Opinion

“We certainly welcome the Commons Business Committee’s idea to use a more robust regulator to tackle manufacturers as there needs to be a system to protect consumers and notify them of the recall of potentially dangerous products.

The majority of manufacturers and retailers care about the safety of their products and take a keen interest in securing the high standards their reputations depend upon. But the huge range available means that there are inevitably some less trustworthy manufacturers and retailers willing to release sub-standard products.

Our Safety As Standard campaign highlighted our support for more to be done to keep consumers safe from the risk of serious injury or death from defective items, and we feel that the committee’s recommendation is a step in ensuring that improvements are made.”
Catherine Slattery - Associate Solicitor