How to source and test products

Sourcing safe products

If you supply consumer products in Australia, you are legally responsible for product safety.

You are responsible for:

products that are subject to a mandatory safety standard or ban
products that don’t have mandatory safety requirements.

What to check when sourcing products

You should source products from manufacturers or suppliers who have a reputation for supplying products that are tested for compliance with any applicable mandatory standards.

When sourcing products, always check that:

the factory is audited regularly to make sure that proper controls are in place
raw materials have been tested
assembly line processes are followed and quality checks are performed
pre-shipment inspections are carried out with adequate supervision by qualified staff appointed by an independent inspector
staff training is current and adequate.

Keep up to date about mandatory standards, bans, and recalls by subscribing to product safety emails.

Product safety testing

How testing can help your business

Minimise the risk of injury and death to consumers
Meet mandatory standards
Avoid supplying banned products
Have a good risk management strategy
Reduce the chances of a costly recall process
Reduce the chances of compensation claims against you for supplying defective goods
Guide your approach to stock development and choices
Increase customer satisfaction.

Reasons to test your products

When products are designed and developed for supply to consumers, it is generally not enough to have a pre-production sample of the products safety tested without further quality assurance.

If a mandatory standard applies to your products, you may be required to make sure that the products have been tested.

Testing may also establish whether a product falls within a ban and therefore cannot be sold in Australia.

As well as testing for safety, testing may be required to establish whether goods meet the guarantee of acceptable quality or to substantiate a range of other claims such as:

environmental impacts, emissions or efficiency
nature and extent of ingredients, components, additives or allergens
country or place of origin of ingredients or components
extent of genetic or other technological modification involved in production
health benefits or impacts.

How to get products tested

To make sure your products comply with product safety laws, you can:

commission reliable, independent and preferably accredited laboratories to test products and provide test reports
conduct your own testing, using suitable in-house expertise and facilities
commission a certification agency to assess products and provide written certification of compliance with safety standards. This allows you to use certification labelling on relevant products
ask your suppliers for written evidence of safety compliance through third-party product certification or product testing, including copies of test reports, preferably from accredited test bodies or laboratories. You need to be satisfied that the testing meets your obligations.

Using an accredited test laboratory

When commissioning product testing, it may be preferable to use an accredited laboratory. Accredited laboratories are assessed regularly and vigorously by an independent agency.

It is not compulsory for test laboratories to be accredited.

If there is a court case, reports from these laboratories may have more credibility.

The National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) and its international counterparts provide strict independent assessments of, and accreditation for, competence in testing against specific safety standards.

Checking laboratory accreditation

If a laboratory is accredited to test for one standard or part of a standard, it does not mean they are accredited to test for the whole standard or a different standard.

When checking a test laboratory’s accreditation, ask:

what the accreditation covers
what specific standards or parts of standards the laboratory is accredited to test for
if the accreditation relates directly to the required testing
for the accreditation reference number
if the accreditation is current
if the accreditation is limited and if so, how
what other relevant details apply.

The National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) has a list of NATA-accredited laboratories.

What and when to test

Safety means making sure that products:

meet the requirements of mandatory standards
are not covered by bans.

Some mandatory standards refer to sections of a, or to a whole, voluntary standard. These requirements must be met to comply with the mandatory standard.

A laboratory may need multiple samples of a product because:

tests may damage or destroy a product
tests may need new samples for each specification
tests may need a combination of samples
variations in a product line might require more samples.

Testing should happen at various stages of product development and distribution.

Some mandatory standards require testing before the product is supplied to a consumer.

Initial design testing

Test custom-made, exact models of new or modified products that are intended for the Australian marketplace.

Product sample testing

Test samples of products when they are made, to make sure they are safe.

Ongoing testing

For products that are made regularly you can use an acceptable quality limit (AQL) model.

The more complex the supply chain the more important the follow up processes. See the Australian Standard AS1100.1-2003: Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes—sampling schemes indexed by acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot-by-lot inspection.

Each product is different and may need different tests and intervals.

Testing after changes to design, material or production

Major product safety legal cases have occurred because manufacturers failed to retest products after making a design, material or production change.

Understanding the test report

When you get a test report back, make sure you read it thoroughly.

If the report relates to a mandatory standard you must check that all requirements of the mandatory standard were tested and passed.

Store report documents in a safe place. Documents should include proof that the laboratory has current and correct experience, expertise and accreditation.

Valid reports

Reports must be accurate and valid. Check that they cover the correct stock and that the tests apply to the relevant Australian mandatory standard.

Conflicting reports

Sometimes there can be conflicting test results, for example if product specifications change or a laboratory is not qualified.

If this happens, discuss it with the laboratory and NATA.

You should not supply any product to the Australian market unless fully confident that test results show compliance with the relevant mandatory standards.

False reports

Sometimes false reports are made by test laboratories.

You should check:

the report is complete with all its parts
batch code numbers and delivery dates match what you requested
the testing regime matches the specifications in the standard and was done with the correct methods
formatting and spelling
that the conclusions are reasonable and consistent with test results
for any other signs of concern.

You should also ask the laboratory to email the reports to you at the same time as they are sent to any other party and to add security features on any documents.

If you are suspicious, ask the laboratory to verify the report’s authenticity. Check its accreditation with the accreditation body.

Product pre-shipment inspections

Make sure the consumer products you purchase for supply are safe and of good quality.

Ask for a pre-shipment inspection at the factory before the products are shipped.
Choose a pre-shipment inspection service provider that is reliable.
Check that your pre-shipment inspector is trained to carry out tests and measurements for your product.
Confirm with the service provider that their inspections follow established international standards.
Make sure you understand the information in the inspection report and clarify anything that seems unclear.
Consider developing a customised inspection protocol that covers points of quality concern.
Confirm that any problems raised during the inspection are fixed before shipment.