Cooperation between Members States in the Area of Market Surveillance - the EMARS project Jan Deconinck, M.Sc. Prosafe Chairman 4th International Workshop on Conformity Assessment - Rio De Janeiro - 8 / 9 December 2008

PROSAFE (Product Safety Enforcement Forum of Europe) 4th International Workshop on Conformity Assessment - Rio De Janeiro - 8 / 9 December 2008

Product Safety Enforcement Forum of Europe Established in 1990 by market surveillance officers Over 20 EU and EFTA member states regularly represented at meetings

Goal to improve market surveillance by promoting closer co-operation and collaboration amongst national authorities Partner with European Commission on EMARS Project and Lighters Project,...

The EMARS project (Enhancing MARket Surveillance)

EMARS Enhancing Market Surveillance through Best Practice Collaborative Project coordinated by Prosafe with the direct participation of fourteen EU and one EFTA member states Set to run until end of 2008

Main Objective To ensure a basic level of “Best practice techniques & cross-sharing of information and expertise in market surveillance” within EEA countries

Main Deliverables (1) a body of knowledge (in the English language) on market surveillance including proposals for further updates, maintenance and operation of this body a system for rapid advise on request to Member State officers and the Commission handbook best practise techniques

Main deliverables (2) strategy document on further enhancement of market surveillance improvement of contact with other sectors of market surveillance involved in consumer product safety a website including a data bases on ‘who is who’, enforcement structures and procedures, body of knowledge and product fact sheets and guidelines and manuals.

Contents of the project Work Package 1: Cross-sharing of information and expertise Work Package 2: Advise on market surveillance issues Work Package 3: Inspection programmes and Techniques Work Package 4: Risk assessment Work Package 5: Co-ordination and secretariat Work Package 6: Dissemination

Work Package 1 Cross-sharing of information

Purpose To establish a body of knowledge … acknowledged by experts as best practices Available to Member States and the Commission Accessible via the Internet Throughout and after the project

Knowledge base

Overview of documents by subject

Work Package 2 Advise on market surveillance issues

Rapid Advice Forum Informal Rapid Advice Individual experts Procedures Experiences Risk assessments Directives, legislation

Rapid Advice Forum Presumptions: Answer given by individual market surveillance officers based on their personal experience and expertise. Not the opinion of a Member State. Recipient is not obliged to follow the answer. Aim: Means for exchange of practical experience. Uniform conclusions in uniform cases.

procedure Nature of request Description of product Picture of product Technical documentation Indication of directives Indication of standards Indication of urgency

procedure Send to Working language = English (Provide a summary of non-English documents, e.g. instructions, test reports, etc.)

procedure Checked for completeness and relevance. Forwarded to a list of experts. The expert gives his personal opinion. All advices are sent back to the requester. Published on the closed part of EMARS-website

EXAMPLES

NO – Fire Extinguisher Ball

PL – Blow Gun

Lighters project -Lighter shaped as beer can -Novelty lighter torch -Lighter with a beer opener -Marking of lighters -Lighter with a compass -Lighters with lamps (leds ?) -Lighter in the shape of a chainsaw -Lighters shaped as poker tokens -Historical weapons Other questions -Mini motor bikes

Work Package 3 Inspection Programmes and Techniques

Collect and describe best practice techniques for market surveillance (“the book”). Collect market surveillance plans to encourage cooperation between Member States Training Main activities, WP3

2The EC legislative base for market surveillance 3Market surveillance - organisation & infrastructure 4Market surveillance - the planning stage 5Project plan setup 6Reactive market surveillance 7Projects - the implementation stage 8Projects - follow-up 9Projects - review, reporting and analysing 10Risk assessment 11Risk communication 13Cross-border information systems 15Customs co-operation in cross-border projects ”The Book” – most important chapters

In November-December we ask Member States to submit their annual plans for following year 15 – 20 responses 200+ projects (titles) Check for potential cooperation projects 2008: 3 joint actions – –Cords and drawstrings in children’s clothes – –Sunbeds – –Toys with magnets or lead Market Surveillance Plans

“Better training for safe consumer products” “If everybody is doing something on training, why not cooperate” (Everybody isn’t doing something on training) Training

Work Package 4 Risk Assessment

Establish and test best practice method(s) for risk assessment Consumer products Relation to other (international) initiatives Close liaison with WG IRAG Practical approach: Perform a number of risk assessments on different products Scope of Work Package 4

Risk Assessment: How dangerous is “dangerous” ?

Step 1, define the product

RAPEX notification no. 0125/06 Cross pane hammer with metal handle and black plastic grip. Step 1, define the product

Step 2, identify the consumer 

The product is normally used by adults. Children may want to stand nearby to watch the adult working. Step 2, identify the consumer

Step 3, identify the hazard(s)  

The plastic grip has insufficient mechanical strength and breaks when the user hits a hard surface. (Only one hazard is considered in this example.) Step 3, identify the hazard(s)

Step 4, how does the hazard inflict on the consumer   

The upper part of the hammer bounces back and hits the user's arm. This causes bruising of the arm. Step 4, how does the hazard inflict on the consumer

Step 5, estimate severity of injury     

Step 6, the probability of the injury scenario      

Injury scenario is broken up in smaller steps. Find probability of each step 1. 1.Handle breaks (estimated probability 50%) 2. 2.The upper parts hits the arm (estimated probability 20%)

Step 7, combine severity and probability       

Probability Severity

Step 8, report result        

Identification of product and case, description of the context Description of the hazards Description of injury scenarios and sensitivity Conclusion (including reflections on the result.) Step 8, report result

Concluding Remarks

The Knowledge base (available on Webex) The Rapid Advice Forum A list of questions handled by the RAF The book – –(including a part on risk assessment) Deliverables

EMARS Jozef II-straat Brussels th International Workshop on Conformity Assessment - Rio De Janeiro - 8 / 9 December 2008