EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) Compliance

The EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), (EU) 2023/988, was officially published in the Official Journal on May 23, 2023, and came into effect on June 12, 2023. It started being implemented on December 13, 2024, and also marks the repeal of the General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) (2001/95/EC).

Products Covered by GPSR:

a. Products intended for consumer use

b. Products not intended for consumer use but which may be used by consumers

c. New products, as well as used, repaired, or refurbished products, provided that no more specific laws or regulations on product safety apply to these products at the time they are placed on the market, other than the General Product Safety Regulation. For example, the electrical safety of electronic products with a voltage range of 50-1000 V (AC) and 75-1500 V (DC) is governed by the EU Low Voltage Directive (LVD). Therefore, GPSR does not cover the electrical safety standards for these products.

Electronic Products

In the case of short circuits or other safety issues, electronic products may pose risks such as electric shock, fire, or mechanical injury. As such, GPSR requires manufacturers to assess the safety measures of their products to prevent failure devices from causing fires or other risks.

Electronic products cover a wide range of categories, including but not limited to:

1) Audio-visual equipment

2) Office equipment

3) Lighting products

Applicable standards include:

1) EN 62368 – Audio-visual, information, and communication technology equipment

2) EN 60598 – Luminaires

Documentation

Article 9 of the General Product Safety Regulation requires manufacturers to provide technical documentation and test reports as evidence of product safety before placing a product on the market. Manufacturers must also ensure that clear product usage instructions are provided to consumers. For example:

a. Technical documentation

b. User manuals

c. Labels

d. Warnings and instructions

e. Label placement

Laboratory Testing

Article 5 stipulates that only safe products are allowed to enter the EU market.

The most direct way to determine whether a product complies with the General Product Safety Regulation is to test the product according to the relevant standards. These standards may be referenced in the General Product Safety Directive or may not be.