EU Safety Gate system for dangerous products

The Safety Gate system (previously Rapid Alert System, RAPEX) on dangerous products is an information exchange system by the European Community, and it is used by the Commission and the Member States to exchange information about dangerous products and the related measures. Tukes acts as the national contact point for the system in Finland.

The system applies to the following products:

  • consumer goods intended for consumer use, such as toys, electrical equipment, motor vehicles and cosmetic products
  • products intended for professional use and products posing an environmental risk.

Items such as pharmaceutical products, medical equipment and supplies and foodstuffs are not covered by the system.

Market surveillance authorities have a statutory duty to report dangerous products found on the market and the measures taken to remove the danger to EU Safety Gate. After this, authorities in other member states investigate based on the report whether the product can be found in their respective markets.

Benefits to consumers and businesses

Each year, more than 2,000 dangerous products are reported in EU Safety Gate.

The European Commission publishes weekly reports on most recent alerts on its website. Consumers and businesses can subscribe to the weekly report via email, either in its entirety or customised to include, for example, only certain product categories or hazards or reports from specific countries. 

Information in the system can also be browsed with the search function.

Consumers and businesses can use the weekly reports and the search function to view hazards associated with different product groups or individual products in order to avoid purchasing dangerous products. The system can also be used to check for dangerous products in private homes or in a company’s stock. This can be greatly beneficial to companies as recalling a dangerous product from the market may be highly costly.

If a company has imported, sold or otherwise distributed dangerous products on the Finnish market, it must, on its own initiative, take measures to remove the danger and notify the supervisory authority. The notification can be submitted via the Business Gateway system.