Recommendation 12

The OPSS and the Minister have told us that they are prioritising the sale of online electrical goods and are liaising with online market place platforms to remind them of their responsibility to ensure such goods are safe. We welcome this. However, there still appear to be too many cases of dangerous goods being found on such platforms. As recently as September 2019, Which? found that nearly three quarter of the online electrical goods it tested were dangerous. As with second hand online goods the current approach appears to be reactive with action taken after goods have been placed online and when a problem arises. We are also concerned as to what role LTS, despite increased training and support from OPSS, can play in stopping the sale of unsafe electrical goods, because of the cuts they have faced. We recommend that OPSS works with online market place platforms to develop a more proactive approach The safety of electrical goods in the UK: follow-up 35 that ensures that electrical goods are not placed for sale online until their safety has been established. We also recommend that the Government publishes details of what role LTS are playing in policing electrical goods and what funding and resources they have to carry out this role.