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Market surveillance: "A high level of non-compliance"

Thursday 8 June 2017

Regulations regarding the fitness for purpose, and by implication the safety of bathroom products, are being habitually flouted by unscrupulous manufacturers and importers. This concerning fact was highlighted in a recent European Commission report and it has confirmed what the Bathroom Manufacturers Association has believed for some time.

"This is outrageous and nothing short of a scandal" claims Yvonne Orgill, Chief Executive of the BMA. "Consumers throughout the UK are purchasing bathrooms which they believe to be up-to-standard and safe to use, but in fact, because they don’t know who made them, or where they came from, they could be spending hard-earned cash on substandard and illegal product."

Our laws state that those bathroom products which are covered by Harmonised European Standards must have the CE Mark fixed to the product, instructions or packaging. CE marking is an indicator of a product’s compliance with legislation. It is not a quality mark but it does indicate 'fitness for purpose.'

Members of the BMA, trustworthy manufacturers of branded bathroom products embraced the regulations when they became legally binding in 2013. However, devious manufacturers and importers are known to contravene the law and consumers are the worse for it.

"The consumer has the right to know that their bathroom products do comply with the regulations and all those in the supply chain - retailers, installers and merchants - need to know their legal obligations," says Orgill.

The report, "Enforcement and Compliance" was published on the DG GROW website
http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/21181 

It shows the results of a survey of companies and industry associations throughout Europe. Most of the respondents agreed that there was a high level of non-compliance in industry and 80% of businesses confirmed that non-compliance has a negative impact on their sales and/or market share.

"Our industry is being adversely affected and consumers could be being put into harm’s way" says Orgill "The association will continue to be very vocal about the problem and highlight the issues with the relevant authorities."

www.bathroom-association.org

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