What is the EU Safety Gate? How does it relate to Product Safety and is it something you should be using as a business selling products in the EU?

What is Safety Gate?
Safety Gate is the rapid alert system for non-food products in the EU that may present a hazard to the public. It is the system through which all non-food Product Recalls are processed.

How does it work?
National market surveillance authorities (the relevant authority in each EU market + Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) monitor products to check they meet EU requirements. If a national authority detects a dangerous product on the market, it may ban or restrict its sale, stop it at the border or order for it to be recalled. When one national authority takes such a measure, it has to inform all the other countries in the EU, which happens through Safety Gate. The Safety Gate rapid alert enables swift and effective action to be taken across the EU when a dangerous or potentially dangerous product is found.

What products are covered?
Safety Gate alerts cover consumer products and products for professional use but excludes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food or animal feed (which have their own alert systems).

What types of risks are commonly covered?
Threats to human health and safety, such as choking, strangulation and damage to hearing or sight, electric shock and burns, or various hazards caused by chemicals. Products that pose a security risk or risks to the environment and/or animals are also included.

How are dangerous products found?
National authorities carry out inspections and test products on the market under their national market surveillance programmes. They also act on any complaints or information they receive. Additionally, where manufacturers, retailers, importers or other businesses become aware they have inadvertently placed products on the market that may pose a danger, they must report this to the authorities.

How are incidents reported?
A web portal called Safety Business Gateway is available for this purpose and its use is mandatory.

Who uses the Safety Gate system?
National authorities from 30 countries (EU Member States, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) enter information into Safety Gate in the form of alerts on a daily basis. Businesses can enter information directly into the Safety Business Gateway if they are aware they have an unsafe product. The Safety Gate Portal can be used by anyone to find information on unsafe products and the Consumer Safety Gateway can be used by consumers to report unsafe products.

What information is recorded?
The alerts contain information about the product, the risks it poses, and the measures taken to stop or restrict its sale. The measures can be imposed by the authorities (compulsory measures) or taken directly by the economic operators (voluntary measures).

How is each country notified?
National authorities are responsible for monitoring the alerts in the system and checking whether the product identified as dangerous is also for sale in their own country. They are required to report on the results of their checks with a follow-up notification on the Safety Gate. The notifications report any additional measures taken and any additional information available e.g. on distribution channels and affected batches. The public website is updated to show in which countries the product has been found and additional measures taken.

What about online market places?
Online marketplaces that have signed the Product Safety Pledge also check the Safety Gate to make sure they are not selling dangerous products online. The Pledge also commits them to remove such products from their listings within 2 days when requested by a national authority. In those cases, that measure is also inputted on Safety Gate in the form of a follow-up notification

What did the 2024 Safety Gate report show?
In 2024, Safety Gate featured the highest number of alerts (4,137) since the system was created (double the number in 2022). Cosmetics remained the product category with most alerts due to increased surveillance, followed by toys and electrical appliances which had similar numbers to previous years.

5 Most Frequent Safety Gate Alerts by Product Category in 2023 and 2024 Source: The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System in 2024

What were the most prevalent risks identified in 2024?
Chemical risks remained high in 2024 and were followed by injuries and environment related hazards.

5 Most Frequent Types of Risk in Safety Gate Alerts in 2023 and 2024 Source: The Safety Gate Rapid Alert System in 2024

Why should I monitor Safety Gate as a product supplier in or to the EU or elsewhere?
Reviewing product recalls of products similar to yours or of risks that have the potential to be found in your products under certain situations, can be helpful input to your product risk assessments and continuous improvement programs. Market expectations can change overtime and what might be considered acceptable at one point in time can change as new information comes to light. Reviewing product recall information will help you to spot trends and pre-empt potential legislation or standards changes that are likely to occur overtime as they are updated to address newly identified risks.

Don’t have time to monitor Safety Gate or similar databases used in other markets? Contact me about receiving a customised monthly report summarising key information pertinent to your business and product range.
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