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Electrical Product Safety Conference 2008 – An event not to be missed!

1st July 2008

Conference poster

The International Electrical Product Safety Conference, organised by the Electrical Safety Council, will take place on 8 - 9 September at Church House, Westminster, London.

The conference will provide a platform to discuss the safety of consumer electrical products in the global market. Recent events, such as the continuing rise in RAPEX* notifications and the European Commission’s stocktaking exercise, recognising the issues relating to managing open markets and responding to globalisation, have shown that product safety needs an international approach. The two-day conference will provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of the present situation and provide a clear path forward.

Much has been researched and written about the safety of electrical products. Now, hear straight from the industry leaders and experts about what the future holds.

Dave Dossett, vice president of CENELEC and Chairman of the Electrical Safety Council, will chair the conference, where a wide range of topics will be discussed through a mix of plenary and interactive themed break-out sessions.

Senior international policy makers including Jackie Minor, Director of Consumer Affairs at DG-SANCO and Marc Schoem of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission will review the current state of electrical product safety in the opening session and set the scene for the conference, while key stakeholders representing product suppliers, product users and the market enforcement authorities, including Luigi Meli, Director General of the European Committee of Domestic Equipment Manufacturers, Stephen Russell, Director General of ANEC and Jan Deconinck, Chairman of Prosafe, will widen the debate.

A range of breakout sessions will provide delegates with the opportunity to focus on specific aspects related to product safety. Each group of sessions is repeated in the programme in order to provide delegates with the maximum opportunity to take part, attending four out of the six workshops on offer, including;

The workshop on policy and regulations will provide a more detailed examination of the main European policy instruments: the New Approach, the Low Voltage Directive, the General Product Safety Directive and RAPEX, the EU rapid alert system for all dangerous consumer products. Speakers include Mark Bogers of DG ENTR and Ron Gainsford, Chief Executive of the UK Trading Standards Institute.

Richard Harris of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Chairman of the Low Voltage Directive Administrative Co-operation Working Group (LVD-ADCO) has been confirmed to speak in the enforcement and market surveillance session, which will provide a detailed insight into activities by authorities working at the national level as well as the enforcement agencies working in the marketplace.

Counterfeit goods can have serious implications for health and safety, and a session on this topic will provide an opportunity to understand better the actions taken by manufacturers, the work being done by the market surveillance authorities, and the preventative support that can be provided by test houses. Hear the manufacturers’ view from Kevin Harris of the anti-counterfeiting working group, the market surveillance view from Bryan Lewin of the TSI and the test house view from Doug Geralde of Corporate Audits & Investigations CSA Group.

Speakers including Chiara Giovannini and Tania Vandenberg of ANEC and Lorraine Carney, head of the Electrical Safety Council’s child safety programme, will address the issues around protecting vulnerable customers in a dedicated breakout session. Delegates will learn the implications that an ageing population and children having greater access to electrical products will have on safe product design, and what the Council is doing in response to these issues.

Gareth Thomas MP, the UK Parliamentary under secretary of state for trade and consumer affairs has also been invited to speak alongside many other industry experts and policy makers.

We are pleased to confirm the NICEIC Group as an official sponsor of the conference. If your organisation is committed to electrical product safety and would like to be associated with this high profile event, a range of sponsorship and exhibitor packages have been developed and are still on offer with a variety of organisations and needs in mind.

Details of sponsorship and exhibition opportunities can be viewed at www.escconference.org.uk or contact Adam Potter on +44 (0)20 7880 7660 or by email at adam.potter@redactive.co.uk.

In addition to the conference proceedings, a gala dinner on the opening night will provide an unparalleled networking opportunity. The dinner will be held in the historic buildings of Lincoln’s Inn, located in the heart of Central London. The building and gardens house an active, working society of barristers and judges. The halls and public rooms of Lincoln’s Inn are steeped in tradition, providing a sumptuous backdrop for the gala dinner.

Also, a comprehensive partners’ programme will ensure you’ll want to make this more than a business trip. Running alongside the main event, the programme provides options for those traveling to London with registered delegates, but who are not attending the conference.

This event promises to be the definitive view on electrical product safety in the global market and everyone is welcome to attend, but please note that registrations are limited and will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

For further updates on speakers and information on the conference programme, and to book your place, please visit www.escconference.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 7880 6214.

* RAPEX is the European rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products.

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