Product liability insurance and product labelling

[GraemeVW]

There seems to be a wealth of knowledge on this forum, so figured someone might be able to help me.

I'm setting up a small business, manufacturing a few simple products and selling online.
Im clueless about all this kind if thing though so there is lots to learn.

One of the products is a liquid. It should be harmless, mainly deionised water with some alcohol and other ingredients. It's for cleaning, not consumption.
I realised the other day though that this may need specific labelling. Will it need a contents label? Safety labelling? Will I need an official safety data sheet for the product? If so, how is that achieved?

I've been looking a little on the internet but I'm not even sure what to search for.
Or, do I just believe in myself that it's harmless and sell it anyway?

The other products are dry, non electrical, no moving parts. I dont see any way anyone could hurt themselves with one, but i realosed today there must be some kind of insuranve fot this. Seems there is, product liability insurance. Anyone know about this?

Will it cover the liquid too, and then insurance company decides what I need to do for labelling?

Any other legal aspects I need to be considering?
Or, are there any websites out there that explain this stuff to nieve beginners like myself?

Thanks

 

[500e]

Expect @Parm can point you in the right direction

 

[ajlelectronics]

Demonized water sounds scary!

 

[winchman]

Much of this you will have your self from your suppliers
COSHH Data sheet etc

Chemical safety data sheets - COSHH

Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a risk assessment. They describe the hazards the chemical presents, and give information on handling , storage and emergency measures in case of accident.

www.hse.gov.uk

Talk to local trading standards too, one word of caution, the council may start digging looking at safety of your premises storage etc
Do you not have any local organisations who offer help to startups?
Once you have sorted all the legal stuff you may not bother

 

[Agroshield]

Would it help to locate an existing product that is identical to what you are proposing to sell and see what information is published on its label? That might give you a minimum standard to meet. As sure as eggs are eggs, there will be rules for everything - including the packaging (weights & measures), recycling information, possibly labelling for visually impaired (bleach has Braille dots on it).

Do you have a small business bureau or similar in your area? Kind of a citizen's advice but for businesses. They might help on these issues.

Below is a random one: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/business-licensing/support-advice-businesses

 

[Shox Dr]

On a side note. Liability Insurance Certs have (should) to be kept for 40yrs. ( I know an employer who is currently been sued for a work related health issue some 30yrs after the event. He's lost/binned the certs and cant remember the insurers or underwriters. I had a clear out of the loft a few weeks back, I nearly binned a folder with them all in, going back nearly 40yrs

.)

 

[ajlelectronics]

On a side note. Liability Insurance Certs have (should) to be kept for 40yrs. (we had a clear out of the loft a few weeks back, we nearly binned a folder with them all in. )

That was definitely in the rules, but I have an idea that it was dropped recently in favour of something more sensible?

 

[Shox Dr]

That was definitely in the rules, but I have an idea that it was dropped recently in favour of something more sensible?

For wee space they take up, they can stay. May save a world of grief sometime.

 

[fizzy]

Start selling your stuff - if it takes off then get it sorted!
Look how many Chinese items come over here without any type approval.
Vevor have just been pulled on a lot of electrical safety problems - but that is only because they are the biggest and sell the most.
You can pay for product liability insurance but the small print will refuse to pay out unless everything is water tight - even then they will still try to wriggle out of it!

 

[Shox Dr]

Start selling your stuff - if it takes off then get it sorted!
Look how many Chinese items come over here without any type approval.
Vevor have just been pulled on a lot of electrical safety problems - but that is only because they are the biggest and sell the most.
You can pay for product liability insurance but the small print will refuse to pay out unless everything is water tight - even then they will still try to wriggle out of it!

Totally different. Those sellers is thousands of miles away with little to zero chance of a prosecution. @GraemeVW is

 

[fizzy]

Totally different. Those sellers is thousands of miles away with little to zero chance of a prosecution. @GraemeVW is

Good point!
Trading standards take great delight on picking on the little people

 

[GraemeVW]

Demonized water sounds scary!

Corrected

 

[GraemeVW]

Much of this you will have your self from your suppliers
COSHH Data sheet etc

Chemical safety data sheets - COSHH

Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a risk assessment. They describe the hazards the chemical presents, and give information on handling , storage and emergency measures in case of accident.

www.hse.gov.uk

Talk to local trading standards too, one word of caution, the council may start digging looking at safety of your premises storage etc
Do you not have any local organisations who offer help to startups?
Once you have sorted all the legal stuff you may not bother

That's a good point, the liquids I use will already have data sheets.

I will be mixing a handful of them, but that should be ok.

I will have a look for any start up help, there are lots of questions when its all new.

It's going to start small, will be run from my home garage at first. I'm only dealing with 50l of liquid at a time. If it gets to a point where im ordering 1000l at a time, I'll see about a small premesis.

 

[GraemeVW]

Would it help to locate an existing product that is identical to what you are proposing to sell and see what information is published on its label? That might give you a minimum standard to meet. As sure as eggs are eggs, there will be rules for everything - including the packaging (weights & measures), recycling information, possibly labelling for visually impaired (bleach has Braille dots on it).

Do you have a small business bureau or similar in your area? Kind of a citizen's advice but for businesses. They might help on these issues.

Below is a random one: https://www.kingston.gov.uk/business-licensing/support-advice-businesses

I did wonder that, but it won't be identical to another product. Even if it just has 1ml of soap in it compared to the next nearest product, if assume the safety info would be different.

I'm assuming I'll probably have to have it tested. I don't know.
What's stopping me selling sulphuric acid and just pretending it's 100% safe?
Just because I know this product is safe doesn't mean I don't, at some point, have to prove it because some child has died in an unrelated ingestion incident.

 

[fizzy]

That's a good point, the liquids I use will already have data sheets.

I will be mixing a handful of them, but that should be ok.

I will have a look for any start up help, there are lots of questions when its all new.

It's going to start small, will be run from my home garage at first. I'm only dealing with 50l of liquid at a time. If it gets to a point where im ordering 1000l at a time, I'll see about a small premesis.

Good luck with it!
Just google the name of the substance you are using and put msds after it.

Example isopropyl alcohol msds

https://www.fishersci.co.uk/store/msds?partNumber=P/7507&countryCode=GB&language=en

We do it all the time to check if things have a UN number - hazardous shipping

 

[GraemeVW]

On a side note. Liability Insurance Certs have (should) to be kept for 40yrs. ( I know an employer who is currently been sued for a work related health issue some 30yrs after the event. He's lost/binned the certs and cant remember the insurers or underwriters. I had a clear out of the loft a few weeks back, I nearly binned a folder with them all in, going back nearly 40yrs

.)

The quick look I had at product liability seems to say that your covered, as long as you have a policy.

It's safe, so it won't, but what happens if you make a product bit after a year the company folds. The next year one of your products fails and injures someone. Are you still liable? If so, it seems like if you make a product, you need insurance for the rest of your life even of the business stops trading.

 

[GraemeVW]

Good luck with it!
Just google the name of the substance you are using and put msds after it.

Example isopropyl alcohol msds

https://www.fishersci.co.uk/store/msds?partNumber=P/7507&countryCode=GB&language=en

We do it all the time to check if things have a UN number - hazardous shipping

Ah, I see. So the data sheets even say what bottle labels it requires.
If I mix isopropyl into 95% water it wouldn't be flammable any more though.

 

[fizzy]

Ah, I see. So the data sheets even say what bottle labels it requires.
If I mix isopropyl into 95% water it wouldn't be flammable any more though.

Exactly.

 

[Misterg]

I believe you will need to comply with 'CLP' regulations:

Chemical classification: The GB CLP Regulation

Chemical classification - Provides an introduction to the basics of classification and where you can find detailed help and advice.

www.hse.gov.uk

Good luck. It's a nightmare...

 

[ajlelectronics]

It's safe, so it won't, but what happens if you make a product bit after a year the company folds. The next year one of your products fails and injures someone. Are you still liable? If so, it seems like if you make a product, you need insurance for the rest of your life even of the business stops trading.

If you think that is a possibility, then you will need to work under a Ltd company. That is a separate legal entity and liabilities die with the company.