These standards now provide a presumption of conformity with the general safety requirement set out in Directive 2001/95/EC on General Product Safety. The following sporting goods products are affected: gymnastic equipment, bicycles, stationary training equipment and floating leisure articles for use on and in the water.
The General Product Safety Directive imposes general safety requirements for any product put on the market for consumers or for any product that is likely to be used by them.
A product is considered to be safe once it conforms to the safety provisions in European legislation, or, in the absence of such rules, if it complies with the specific national regulations of the member state where it is being marketed or sold. The product is also considered to be safe if it complies with the European standard established according to the procedures in this GPSD, but a risk assessment report is required.
Thus, if you are manufacturing products covered by the new harmonized standards, you can use these standards to demonstrate that your products comply with the safety requirements of the GPSD. Since those standards are quite recent, it should be enough, but the Commission nonetheless recommends checking if there are additional rules at national level covering the products.
Please also note that the use of harmonized standards is not mandatory. Manufacturers can demonstrate that their products meet the safety requirements of the Directive in other ways. However, harmonized standards provide a presumption of conformity (with the safety requirements they are covering). Hence, if your product respects the relevant standard it should automatically be considered as meeting the safety requirements of the GPSD.
More details:
Please find attached/or website the Commission’s implementing decision granting 17 standards presumption of conformity with the general safety requirement of the General Product Safety Directive. Please find below the list of standards published which should be of interest to the sporting goods industry:
- EN 913:2018 Gymnastic equipment — General safety requirements and test methods
- EN ISO 4210-2-2015 Cycles — Safety requirements for bicycles — Requirements for city and trekking, young adult, mountain and racing bicycles
- EN ISO 4210-6-2015 Cycles — Safety requirements for bicycles — Frame and fork test methods
- EN ISO 20957-4:2016 Stationary training equipment: Strength training benches, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
- EN ISO 20957-5:2016 Stationary training equipment: Stationary exercise bicycles and upper body crank training equipment, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
- EN ISO 20957-8:2017 Stationary training equipment: Steppers, stair climbers and climbers — Additional specific safety requirements and test methods
- EN ISO 20957-9:2017 Stationary training equipment: Elliptical trainers, additional specific safety requirements and test methods
- EN ISO 20957-10:2017 Stationary training equipment: Exercise bicycles with a fixed wheel or without freewheel — Additional specific safety requirements and test method
- EN ISO 25649:2017 Floating leisure articles for use on and in the water
If you need further information, please contact Jane Montgomery – Email: jane@sportsandplay.com
