In its “Safety Gate 2020” report published on Tuesday, the EU Commission outlined the top categories alerted through its rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products. For the grand duchy, the most common categories of products notified were jewellery (47%), protective equipment (28%) and toys (16%).

The most common risks notified through the system for Luxembourg were chemical (51%), health risk/other (18%) and choking (10%).

The report includes all countries participating in the EU’s safety gate network, which are member states as well as the UK, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Across this network for 2020, a total of 2,253 alerts were received, while 5,377 follow-up actions were taken as a result. For Luxembourg this translated to 43 alerts requiring 218 follow-up actions. 

From toys to face masks

Across the board, toys represented the most notified product category (27% of total), followed by motor vehicles (21%) and electrical appliances and equipment (10%). Most cited concerns centred on injury-causing products, like those leading to concussions or fractures (25%), followed by chemical components (18%) and choking hazards for kids (12%). 

Covid-19-related products, such as masks and disinfectants, were also among special surveillance over the course of 2020. A total of 161 alerts across the network were linked to masks, 18 on UV lamps meant to function as sterilisers and 13 on hand disinfectants.  

Safety gate, in operation since 2003, is a public website designed to facilitate notification processes for such dangerous consumer products. To date, 11 online marketplaces have also joined the related product safety pledge, agreeing to cooperate with member states to remove dangerous products from their sites, including Amazon, eBay and Etsy, to name just a few.