Tillsyn av kemiska produkter i detaljhandeln: Kontroll av barnskyddande förslutning och kännbar varningsmärkning på kemiska produkter i Burlövs kommun

Sammanfattning: Each year children and adults are injured in accidents caused by chemicals, usually due to incorrect use of the products. Studies have shown that children are more sensitive to chemical products and injuries that occur during childhood could cause lifelong consequences. In order to prevent accidents caused by chemicals it is important to label and package these products appropriately in accordance with the legislation. Child-resistant packaging and tactile warning labels are two ways to decrease the risk of accidents caused by chemicals. The child-resistant packaging aims to prevent children from unintentionally ingesting a chemical product while the tactile warning label, on the other hand, helps people with impaired vision to identify a packaging containing a hazardous chemical product. The purpose of this study was to within the municipality of Burlöv and as a part of a project organized by the Swedish Chemicals Agency carry out inspections and control child-resistant packaging and tactile warning labels on chemical products. That way defective products could be identified, and the consumers protected from potential injuries. The results showed that products in 6 out of 8 of the inspected stores had at least one or more defects. A total of 72 unique products were inspected and defects were identified in 13 of these products. Most defects were found within the “Petroleum products” and “Pool products” categories. The most common defects were partially/entirely covered tactile warning labels and loose caps on the child-resistant packaging. The results also showed that a substantial percentage of the inspected stores seem to lack a functioning system for self-monitoring which creates a need for additional studies within this specific area. Furthermore, this study excluded e-business which also could be a proposal for future studies.