Supplier checklist for conducting a recall

Tell the ACCC of the recall

Tell the ACCC about your recall within 2 days of taking a recall action.
Tell overseas persons about the recall and send a copy of this notice to the ACCC within 10 days - if you have supplied the recalled product to persons overseas.

Identify affected products – name, model, serial numbers, batch numbers, production dates, manufacturer, expected lifespan of the product.
Stop sale, manufacture, import, and advertising of the product.
Identify the number of affected products supplied to consumers and those in the supply chain.
Identify the defect and hazard – write a clear description.
Submit a mandatory report within 2 days of becoming aware of death, serious injury or illness - review details of all known injuries or incidents.
Conduct risk assessments to understand the risk, failure rate and urgency of the recall.
Identify the cause of the defect and the stage of supply where the fault occurred.
Fix the root cause – decide the steps to take and assess whether your fix is effective – keep good records of the steps taken.

Decide on a suitable remedy – be consistent with Australian Consumer Law remedies.
Plan how you will recall products that have been sold second-hand.
This includes any products that contain a recalled part. Give instructions to the supply chain about the remedy.
Plan how you will dispose of the affected product or faulty part.

Identify how you will tell consumers about the recall.
Gather contact details for consumers, those in the supply chain, manufacturers, importers and overseas recipients you have supplied.
Create your recall advertisements and messages.Consider social media, in-store, online advertising, emails and text messages. Plan when and how often you will advertise and how long you’ll promote them for.
Communicate early and often with consumers and those in the supply chain.
Provide information about the recall to your supply chain. Include how to communicate the risk, advertising details, and other steps to improve the recall’s effectiveness.
Set up multiple ways for consumers and those in the supply chain to contact your business about the recall.
Set up a dispute resolution process to address consumer complaints about the recall – keep records.

Keep track of how many products you and others in the supply chain have provided a remedy for – submit a recall progress report one month after your recall is published and then at agreed times.
Monitor and track incidents and complaints.
Reassess the risk.
Regularly review and update your strategy to know if your communication is effective.
Keep recall communication current and consistent. Update messages when there is a change to the defect or hazard or how to receive a remedy. Tell the ACCC so we can update the Product Safety Australia website.
Tell the ACCC of any issues or changes with the recall.

Continue to provide remedies to consumers until all products are accounted for.
Tell us when all products have been accounted for.
When not all products can be retrieved or accounted for - tell us when and why you think your recall has removed the risk from consumers and you want to finalise your recall. We will consider the next steps.
Update your recall plan to include any lessons learned from the recall.