GPSR Compliance

(22)

Under the general safety requirement laid down in this Regulation, economic operators should be obliged to place only safe products on the market. Such a high level of safety should be primarily achieved through the design and the features of the product, taking into account the intended and foreseeable use and conditions of use of the product. The remaining risks, if any, should be alleviated by means of certain safeguards, such as warnings and instructions.

(23)

The safety of a product should be assessed taking into account all relevant aspects of the product, in particular its characteristics, such as the physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics, and its presentation, as well as the specific needs and risks which the product represents for certain categories of consumers who are likely to use the products, in particular children, older persons and persons with disabilities. Those risks can also include environmental risk insofar as it poses a risk to the health and safety of consumers. That assessment should take into account the health risk posed by digitally connected products, including the risk to mental health, especially of vulnerable consumers, in particular children. Therefore, when assessing the safety of digitally connected products likely to have an impact on children, manufacturers should ensure that the products they make available on the market meet the highest standards of safety, security and privacy by design, in the best interests of children. Furthermore, if specific information is necessary to make products safe for a certain category of persons, the assessment of the safety of the products should take into consideration also the presence of that information and its accessibility. The safety of all products should be assessed taking into consideration the need for the product to be safe over its entire lifespan.