OPSS product risk guidance and resources
Supporting a consistent approach to product risk-based regulation through accessible guidance and practical resources.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is a product risk-based regulator. We identify, assess and prioritise product risks to support proportionate, evidence-led regulatory action.
This page provides a central source of OPSS’s product risk frameworks, methodologies, tools and guidance. It supports a consistent and transparent approach to product risk-based regulation, helping businesses, consumers and regulators understand how product risk informs regulatory decision-making in practice.
Government overview of product risk identification and assessment
The Government has published an overview of the product risk identification and assessment process that it expects to be followed. This is set out in the Product Safety Code of Conduct. The annex ‘Risk identification, assessment, and response’ explains the process for identifying and assessing risks and considering regulatory and non-regulatory responses.
Risk assessment framework
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The Product Safety Risk Assessment Methodology (PRISM) is a structured methodology for assessing consumer product safety risks that includes hazard categories, risk tolerability and probability assessment. It provides resources to help regulators and businesses draft product risk assessments.
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Regulators and businesses can find further support through worked PRISM examples and guidance on products and hazards presumed to present a serious risk.
Risk lexicon
- The OPSS risk lexicon provides standardised definitions for key terms relating to risk, harm, probability and uncertainty. The definitions have been developed through expert consensus and academic review, promoting clarity and consistency in the use of this terminology.
Research and supporting resources
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OPSS publishes research and analysis to support evidence-based product regulation. This includes work on topics such as risk perception, risk tolerability and risk communication, helping regulators, businesses and others to better understand risk and support informed risk identification and assessment.
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Read more about research at Office for Product Safety and Standards.