Failure to provide safety warnings at point of sale for hazardous products and equipment
First to latest report 21 Jul 2017 — 11 Apr 2025
Reports that mention this concern
4
Times this concern has been raised
4
Stated actions linked to this concern
15
What this concern includes
Includes failures of retail or online point-of-sale arrangements to provide, require or make available clear safety warnings or use guidance for products or equipment presenting a material public-safety risk, including warnings about water conditions and safety equipment for paddleboards, fire risks from paraffin-containing emollients, and restraint or strangulation risks from high-risk lap belts.
What is not included
Excludes product-packaging or enclosed-information warnings where no point-of-sale warning or purchaser-facing sales process is identified; those belong to the existing product-safety-labelling concern.
Excludes neutral product information, ordinary instructions or general consumer advice where no serious safety hazard is communicated.
Excludes restrictions on access, suitability assessments or regulation of product sales when the failure is not the absence or unreliability of purchaser-facing safety warnings.
Excludes warnings directed solely to professionals or staff when purchasers are not the relevant recipients.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Department of Health and Social Care3
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency3
NHS England2
Proprietary Association of Great Britain2
Alliance Pharmaceuticals Limited1
Arjo UK Limited1
Bayer plc1
Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust1
Care Quality Commission1
Homecare Association Limited1
Locala Community Partnerships C.I.C.1
Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street1
Public Ltd1
Tesco PLC1
Thornton & Ross Limited1
Medicines and medical devices regulator3
Ministerial department3
Executive non-departmental public body2
Private limited company2
Public limited company2
Trade association2
Community interest company1
Executive office1
Health and social care service regulator1
NHS trust1
Reports and published responses 4 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
Rutland and North Leicestershire
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide purchasers with warnings about the risks of high-risk lap belts
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
Department of Health and Social Care
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.9
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Publish a product safety report warning about the ORTONES belt and documenting the corrective action taken.
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Review wider intelligence on wheelchair and armchair support belts, including incidents, standards and product instructions and warnings.
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Write to major online marketplaces about inadequate instructions and warnings, and alert them that the ORTONES belt should not be supplied.
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Highlight activity concerning support-belt safety to relevant stakeholders, including Age UK and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
Office for Product Safety and Standards
Continue monitoring evidence and engaging UK retailers and manufacturers to promote clear instructions and warnings and safer foreseeable use.
Department of Health and Social Care
Write to the Office of Product Safety and Standards expressing concerns about the lap belt product.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Review the relevant safety standard and ORTONES belt instructions for warnings concerning prescription, fitting, skin injury and strangulation risks.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Advise OPSS of concerns about support belts and highlight the missing safety information in the ORTONES belt instructions.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Inform OPSS about the ongoing investigation and include it in manufacturer communications to assess proposed corrective actions.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.4
Department of Health and Social Care
Responsibility for concerns about lap belt product advertising, sale, warnings and safety information sits with another organisation.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Support belts marketed for general accident prevention are generally unlikely to qualify as medical devices or accessories under UK regulations.
Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Addressing missing warnings for belts not classified as medical devices or accessories is outside the regulator’s remit.
Outside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
The Office of Product Safety and Standards is the relevant regulator for concerns about unregulated supportive belts and their warnings.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
North Wales (East and Central)
Concerns raised1
Lack of mandatory safety advice for paddleboard purchasers at retail sale
Linked responses
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Tesco Stores Limited
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.5
Tesco Stores Limited
Review the paddleboard products and accompanying safety information, including warnings.
Tesco Stores Limited
Add front-of-package safety stickers with life-jacket, buoyancy-aid, leash-use warnings and a QR code, then distribute or affix them to product units.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Refer the report to Hertfordshire Trading Standards to determine whether further action is needed.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Ask OPSS to write to the Business Reference Panel about distributors’ awareness of paddleboard safety obligations.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Ask OPSS to liaise with enforcement partners and, where appropriate, manufacturers about awareness of the incident and potential action.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
Tesco Stores Limited
The paddleboard products are considered safe and already have appropriate instructions.
Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Hertfordshire Trading Standards will decide whether further enforcement action is needed regarding paddleboard safety advice and point-of-sale information.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
West Yorkshire (Western)
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of verbal fire-risk warnings from healthcare professionals for retail and online purchases
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
Alliance Pharmaceuticals Limited
Bayer plc
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Alliance Pharmaceuticals Limited
Update personnel communicating with healthcare professionals and the public on the assessment outcome and subsequent labelling changes.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Bayer plc
Other recipients of the report will address concerns about healthcare warnings, prescribing systems, incident data and fire-safety training.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
West Yorkshire (West)
Concerns raised1
Failure to verbally inform over-the-counter purchasers of fire hazards from low-paraffin emollient creams
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Locala Community Partnerships
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Locala Community Partnerships
Warnings on emollient packaging and to the general public are matters for other recipients with a broader remit.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.