Abu Dhabi: Have you ever wondered whether the stuffed toy you are buying for your child could come undone at the seams and create a risk of suffocation? Or whether the affordably priced iron could overheat and cause injuries?
Most residents may still be unaware of it, but the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) operates a comprehensive portal to inform consumers about the products that could pose a risk to them. The service, entitled Manaa, currently lists 148 items that do not meet Abu Dhabi emirate’s safety and quality standards and have therefore been recalled from the market, including a variety of toys, electrical appliances and wiring devices.
The list includes brand names, model numbers and even potential hazards that could arise from using the product so that consumers can avoid buying them even if they come across a stray piece on market shelves. Moreover, residents can report unsafe items, whether or not an actual incident may have occurred, Abdullah Al Khoury, executive director of consumer and market services at the QCC, told Gulf News.
“We encourage residents to actively engage in promoting safe markets. Each comment they provide on unsafe products contributes to raising the safety quotient in the emirate,” Al Khoury said.
The QCC is a council of regulatory and industry experts that aims to raise the quality of the emirate’s exports and locally traded products, specifically non-food and non-pharmaceutical items. Its inspectors continuously monitor the market to sample and test available goods, while the entity keeps a watch on local and international recall and conformity schemes.
“When we began monitoring the market in 2011, we started with high-risk products such as children’s toys and electrical home appliances. We have now broadened our scope to include vehicle tyres, cosmetics and detergents, among other products,” Al Khoury said.
Feedback
When customers do provide feedback on products, it is mainly about appliances and toys. So the QCC investigates whether the risk arises from the product itself or the manner in which it has been used. A response is usually provided to the consumer within 48 hours, based on the availability and complexity of information required.
“In addition, our inspectors are in the market every day to ensure that all recalled products are removed from shelves. In case they do find a recalled item, a joint investigation is launched to find out the reasons for non-compliance with our recall and appropriate corrective actions taken to collect any pieces sold previously,” Al Khoury explained.
“At the same time, if QCC inspectors believe that an as-yet unrecalled product could be dangerous, they stop its sale immediately and ask the retailer to provide product details to the QCC. We then arrange with the manufacturer to test a sample,” he added.
In essence, all regulated products that come under the purview of the UAE federal standards regulator, the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma), are surveyed and their sale monitored by the QCC.
In addition to these market inspections, the QCC website also details the conformity schemes it implements for water fixtures, window safety devices, LED lights, plastic pipes, toys, household appliances, and other materials used in construction. The standards for children’s toys were launched this February, as reported by Gulf News. All compliant items can feature the Abu Dhabi Trustmark if manufacturers apply for it.
“The UAE market is a key import hub, not just a manufacturing market. Therefore, one of our main roles is to educate traders about safety regulations and requirements to ensure that the products they import meet safety requirements,” Al Khoury explained.
He added that retailers and suppliers are generally cooperative in the withdrawal of unsafe items.
“After all, it is a service that we offer for their benefit, as most retailers don’t have the capability to ensure the safety of the products they import,” he said.
