Discussion Paper Summary

January 1998

Infant Products Safety - An Agenda for Action

All New Zealanders have a strong interest in the safety of the products that they buy and use. We are all particularly concerned about the safety of infants products. In discussing safety the key issues are:

• safe construction, and
• safe use.

Safe products and safe use will only be achieved if everyone plays their part.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has a key role in achieving safety and so do you. This paper sets out what the Ministry is doing, and details an agenda for partnership action.

The agenda draws heavily on the Ministerial Infant Products Safety Forum, held in Wellington in October 1997. The Forum provided a unique opportunity for many interested parties to share their views about what can and should be done to achieve safety. That opportunity is repeated through the development of this paper.

Issues covered at the Forum included: the Ministry of Consumer Affairs strategies, self regulation, injury data, standards and enforcement, a manufacturers perspective on the safety of children's and nursery products, infants products and healthcare, perspectives from Maori and Pacific Island presenters and Plunket.

There were workshop discussions on issues for traders, consumers, and on product safety standards.

However, while workshops and discussions are important, action is critical.

This paper records the issues discussed at the Forum, as well as other useful information, but it is really about action. And the key part of the paper is the "agenda for action".

Discussion Paper - full text

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