Effective Complaint Management & Product Safety Monitoring Under the GPSR
The General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR) establishes clear obligations for manufacturers placing consumer products on the European Union market. In this Helpful Article, we explain your responsibilities as a manufacturer and provide best practices to fulfill them effectively.
ANSWERED ON THIS PAGE
- What the GPSR requires after EU launch
- Notifying authorities via the Safety Business Gateway
- What are best practices for managing product safety and consumer complaints?
- Why is managing product safety crucial for GPSR compliance?
The GPSR requires manufacturers to actively monitor the safety of their products after placing them on the market. Specifically, Article 9 of the GPSR obliges manufacturers to investigate consumer complaints and safety-related concerns thoroughly and promptly. If the product is dangerous or may be, act immediately (withdraw/recall as needed), inform consumers, and notify authorities via the Safety Business Gateway.
What the GPSR requires after EU launch
If a manufacturer identifies or suspects a product to be dangerous, it must immediately implement effective corrective measures, such as withdrawing or recalling the product. Additionally, manufacturers must promptly inform consumers about the nature of the safety risk and the corrective measures being implemented. They must also notify the Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) of the Member States where the product has been made available. These notifications must clearly detail the identified safety risk, actions taken, and, when available, provide information about the affected products still circulating in the market.
Public channels you must provide
Publish a phone number, email, or web form that is easy to find and accessible. It is thereby highly recommended to route safety complaints to a monitored inbox.
Notifying authorities via the Safety Business Gateway
Use the Safety Business Gateway (business portal) and include at the minimum product identifiers/photos, risk description (hazard, severity/likelihood), measures taken, distribution (countries/quantities if available), and contact for the dossier.
What are best practices for managing product safety and consumer complaints?
To effectively fulfill your surveillance obligations under the GPSR, it is advisable to adopt clear best practices:
- Define clear roles and responsibilities within your organization to swiftly address consumer complaints and safety concerns.
- Maintain a systematic internal register documenting all consumer complaints, safety concerns, corrective actions, withdrawals, and recalls, ensuring information accuracy and accessibility.
- Implement procedures for timely investigations of consumer feedback and safety concerns, facilitating prompt and appropriate corrective measures.
- Establish clear communication protocols to quickly inform consumers and Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) via the EU Safety Business Gateway whenever safety risks or corrective actions arise.
- Regularly review complaint and safety-related data to identify patterns or recurring safety issues early, allowing for proactive corrective actions.
These structured and proactive practices support efficient compliance with GPSR obligations, protect consumer safety, and maintain your products’ trusted reputation in the EU market.
How EARP supports
As your independent EU Authorized Representative under the GPSR, EARP is committed to supporting manufacturers by clearly representing their regulatory interests within the European Union. Our role focuses specifically on authorized representation and providing clarity regarding your GPSR obligations. EARP also offers practical templates and documentation guidance that assist manufacturers in clearly understanding and documenting their obligations under GPSR.
In cases where manufacturers must inform Market Surveillance Authorities about safety risks and corrective measures, EARP helps manufacturers understand the procedural requirements of notifications via the EU Safety Business Gateway.
EARP’s dedicated representation services ensures that manufacturers can efficiently manage their regulatory responsibilities, maintain market access, and effectively respond to product safety concerns within the EU market.
Why is managing product safety crucial for GPSR compliance?
By clearly understanding your GPSR obligations and efficiently managing consumer complaints and product safety concerns, manufacturers not only comply with EU legislation but also actively demonstrate their dedication to consumer safety and market reliability. Structured internal procedures, clear communication, and accurate documentation are critical for successfully meeting GPSR requirements and effectively cooperating with EU authorities.
EARP is your trusted partner in navigating these obligations, providing clear guidance and authoritative representation to ensure ongoing compliance and consumer protection.
FAQs
Manufacturers do not need to translate internal safety documentation, such as internal complaint registers or corrective action records. However, consumer-facing communications like recall notices or safety warnings must be provided in the appropriate languages for each EU country where the product is marketed, to ensure consumers can easily understand them.
Distributors and importers have their own obligations under the GPSR, but the primary responsibility for initiating consumer notifications about product safety issues rests with the manufacturer. However, manufacturers can cooperate closely with distributors or importers to effectively reach consumers and can coordinate with these partners to ensure timely and effective communication.
Failure to promptly inform EU Market Surveillance Authorities about identified product safety risks may result in enforcement measures, such as product withdrawals, fines, and damage to brand reputation. Prompt reporting via the Safety Business Gateway is essential to maintaining compliance, consumer trust, and ongoing market access within the EU.
As soon as you have enough information to describe the risk and actions. Don’t wait for a perfect root cause; submit and update.
