2022
Measurement of surface temperatures of a selection ofMeasurement of surface temperatures of a selection ofproducts in the Scope of IEC 60335 2 9'Household and similar electrical appliances SafetyPart 2 9: Particular requirements for grills, toasters andsimilar portable cooking appliances
This report provides thermal (IR) images of 10 different small electrical cooking appliances that were being heated in a manner similar to the test conditions of IEC 60335-2-9 Edition 7.0 2019-05, Particular requirements for grills, toasters and similar portable cooking appliances, the current published international safety standard for these types of appliances.This report provides thermal (IR) images of 10 different small electrical cooking appliances that were being heated in a manner similar to the test conditions of IEC 60335-2-9 Edition 7.0 2019-05, Particular requirements for grills, toasters and similar portable cooking appliances, the current published international safety standard for these types of appliances.
The images were commissioned to support further development of the 60335-2-9 standards where:
- at the EU level, there are ongoing concerns expressed by Member States’ authorities that temperature limits in the current standard are too high.
- at the IEC level, there have been challenges raised by stakeholders on the blanket use of the doubling temperature relaxation (widely referred to as “note b” by standards developers).
The tests conducted were not a replication of those specified in that standard because temperatures were not measured using the Probe for measuring surface temperatures specified in Figure 105 of that standard.
2020
ANEC study on trampolines and trampoline parks published
Bouncing/trampolining is much enjoyed by children and adults, from a range of age groups and skill levels. In the past two decades, the use of trampolines in leisure and recreational activities has greatly increased worldwide.
Despite several benefits for users - namely health benefits, improving fitness, dynamic balance and motor performance - trampolines are a common source of paediatric injury. Although fatalities and disabilities appear less frequent events, there are cases that have resulted in death or quadriplegia.
ANEC commissioned a study to understand the dimension and characteristics of the problem and risk factors behind injuries, and to undertake a gap-analysis of the existing standards for trampolines and trampoline parks, as well as those under development. The study was done by the Faculty of Human Kinetics of the University of Lisbon, together with APSI, the Portuguese Association for Child Safety Promotion.
The study consisted of the following tasks:
- Task 1: a literature review of Trampoline Injuries and analysis of Trampoline Injuries in the EU-Injury Database (EU-IDB)
- Task 2: identification of the most critical safety related aspects for design; construction; use and operation of trampolines, both related to the environment (equipment, surfaces, surroundings) and different types of usage. These included research and analysis of existing trampolines, recalled products, consumer reviews, online surveys, interviews, mystery clients and qualitative observation of users’ behaviours.
- Tasks 3 and 4: a cross-analysis of existing relevant standards, published or under development, to identify whether the injury scenarios and critical aspects for safety resulting from Task 1 and Task 2.
The results of the ANEC study on trampolines and trampoline parks were published in October and can be found on our website: ANEC Technical Study: Trampolines and Trampoline Parks, Executive Summary, including its Annexes: Annex 1, Annex 2, Annex 3, Annex 4, Annex 5, Annex 6, Annex 7 and Annex 8.
2019
Investigating Safe Sleeping Conditions for Children
The study has examined whether standards for several sleep products, mainly for babies, facilitate recognised safe sleeping practices. The report, Investigating Safe Sleeping Conditions for Children, presents the results of the analysis.
The analysis found there are inconsistencies among the standards for products that offer similar functions. The report also presents a review of the potential hazards associated with products that are not covered by standards, and makes recommendations on whether ANEC should seek the development of new standards. It recommends that standards be developed for bed nests (as they present soft, padded areas close to the baby’s face); cot beds, especially covering the transition from cot to bed and the bed function; and cots and travel cots supplied with accessories, such as changing tables and bassinets.
The product analysis methodology used in the study could be employed in consideration of standardisation requests (mandates), as it uses a systematic assessment of hazards and risks, and defines key issues related to the development of new standards.
Should you be interested in the documents referred in the report, please contact the ANEC Secretariat.
2018
ANEC study investigates consumer attitudes and experiences on cross-border healthcare
ANEC commissioned a technical study on cross-border healthcare that investigates how many consumers have used healthcare services (planned and unplanned) in a European country other than their home country and provides details of their experiences.
The study showed that legislation that gives EU citizens the right to access cross-border healthcare offers many potential benefits, but is still not working effectively for consumers. While access to unplanned treatment appears to be working relatively well, there is much work to be done to improve access to planned healthcare, to make this a viable option for EU consumers. Although 37% of respondents had received urgent and unplanned medical treatment in another EU country, only 4% had travelled abroad to receive planned medical treatment. The study reveals that lack of knowledge about rights and choices are key barriers to seeking planned treatment abroad.
At the beginning of the patient journey, the study highlights an urgent need to raise awareness of rights, and provide patients with clear, consistent guidance about cross-border healthcare options so that they can make informed decisions about care. At the other end of the patient journey, there is an urgent need for effective systems of redress so consumers know where to complain and can achieve satisfactory resolution to problems. The study concludes with recommendations to relevant authorities and organisations.
2017
ANEC study investigates if children are at increased risk of serious injury as a result of domestic products being used in non-domestic settings
ANEC commissioned a technical study to determine whether children are at increased risk of serious injury as a result of domestic products being used in non-domestic settings.
AIJU, the contractor of the study, concluded that high chairs, baby prams and pushchairs, changing tables, cots, bunk beds and baby beds are more frequently involved in incidents than others, considering all sources of information consulted.
Conclusions on additional hazards of these products during non-domestic use were established by using the “Hazard and risk assessment table” from the ANEC 2015 Technical Study “The development of the safety requirements and hazard-based standards for child use and care articles” by product.
After the identification of hazards not covered in European standards and increased risks due to non-domestic use, the proposal of a set of safety requirements and test methods to be covered by these products was prepared, including general proposals and specific proposals by product.
Regarding the type of incidents, falls were the most common incident and the leading cause of injury in children using child care articles in non-domestic settings. Taking this information into account, some aspects like stability, structural integrity and durability were identified as crucial points to improve the safety of these products in non-domestic settings.
As a conclusion, AIJU proposes a revision of the standards to cover the additional hazards and increased risk during non-domestic use.
Service Standards and Supervision
Services are one of the main drivers of the European economy and account for around 70 percent of GDP. Standards can ensure the quality of services, but only if they exist and are used. Today, ANEC publishes a report on the use of service standards by authorities as a tool in market surveillance.
Commissioned by ANEC, the Swedish Service Research Centre, Karlstad University, looked at how the development of service standards could be encouraged and how authorities approach the surveillance of services through standards.
Its report concludes with four recommendations:
- Both authorities and standardisation bodies need to take account of the inherent special characteristics of services compared with products;
- Further to this first recommendation, there are several elements that should be particularly considered when developing service standards and/or conducting the supervision of services;
- Although standardisation bodies expect the voluntary participation of interested parties, more emphasis is needed in encouraging market surveillance authorities to participate in standardisation committees;
- To strengthen the importance of service standards, the General Product Safety Directive (Directive 2001/95/EC) should be reviewed to consider including services under its umbrella.
2016
Ecodesign measures have been in the spotlight this week, with alleged EU plans to scrap the tool. But our new study confirms how crucial it is to safeguard Ecodesign.
Indeed, consumers save at least €330 annually thanks to Ecodesign, and by doing nothing! This is because EU laws have enabled manufacturers to produce less energy-hungry products. And if consumers choose the top class of the Energy Label, their savings can jump to over €450 per year.
These results come from a study commissioned by ANEC and its sister organisation, BEUC. It evaluates the financial savings resulting from Ecodesign and Energy Labelling for the typical European household.
In addition to economic benefits, Ecodesign delivers qualitative benefits to consumers such as quieter vacuum cleaners.
The study also highlights that savings for consumers could be considerably higher if Ecodesign requirements were more ambitious and timely in their delivery.
Background:
The typical family, taken as a case study, comprises a couple, their child and a dog. They live in a 3-bedroom house and have about 20 appliances and 45 light bulbs. The study methodology is based on the calculation of the total cost of ownership of all their appliances.
Useful links:
2015
ANEC technical study outlines possible improvements in standards development
Safety requirements, which are incorporated into the standardisation requests directed to CEN and CENELEC, are a key element in the development of new standards under the GPSD. They need to follow a hazard-based approach, an approach that comprehensively and systematically identifies, assesses and addresses hazards and risks.
The levels of safety set out in safety requirements should be relevant to the significance of the hazards and risks, especially when the risk of harm is high. These levels of safety should be defined by the European Commission’s GPSD committee, not left to technical committees to decide, their role being to find ways of addressing safety requirements, not deciding on their significance.
These are two of the important conclusions from the ANEC Technical Study 'The development of safety requirements and hazard-based standards for child use and care articles', undertaken by Anne Smith and Mike Hayes from the UK’s Child Accident Prevention Trust.
To support the development of safety requirements, the study presents a hazard and risk matrix, drawing heavily on the table in CEN/TR 13387:2015 Child use and care articles - General safety guidelines - Part 1: Safety philosophy and safety assessment.
The study also recommends that:
- CEN/TR 13387-1:2015 should be amended in line with recommendations presented in the report to assist in the drafting of informative rationales in standards.
after publication, a standard should be audited by the expert panel that drafted the safety requirements to determine whether or not it fulfils the requirements, both in - terms of completeness and the levels of safety provided. This determination should be undertaken systematically using proposals presented in the report. This process can be made easier by drafting safety requirements and standards in a hazard-based format.
- the expert panels responsible for drafting safety requirements should have broad representation from key stakeholders to ensure that members have an understanding of all the issues that need to be included.
While the report focusses primarily on standards developed under the GPSD and for products with which children might interact, using child use and care articles as an example, the principles might also be relevant for those for adults and to those covered by other Directives.
Barriers to clicking cross-border
Only 10% of EU consumers regularly shop from internet retailers in other EU countries, compared with 63% from websites in their home countries, according to a new ANEC survey of more than 4.000 consumers in 22 EU countries. The study reveals that, despite European Commission policies to encourage e-commerce cross-border, consumers still face notable barriers to reaping the benefits of a digital single market.
The study ‘European cross-border online shopping - Learning from consumer experiences’ looks at the online shopping habits of EU consumers and identifies key problems met by those who buy from internet retailers in other EU countries.
Two-thirds of online shoppers surveyed have bought cross-border, with 15% finding a problem. Of these, 27% reported late deliveries and 22% said their orders never arrived. Respondents also reported problems when trying to place orders, such as unfair price differences, unclear or misleading information, and retailers refusing to sell or deliver to the address of the shopper.
An overview of the main findings can be found in the ANEC leaflet: Key Facts on Cross-border online shopping within the EU.
2014
The benefits of consumer participation in standardisation to all stakeholders
Much work has been done on macro-economic and micro-economic benefits of standardisation, but little on the societal benefits or the benefits to consumers in particular. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the societal benefits of standardisation at the national and European levels, with a particular focus on the benefits of consumer participation. The report "The benefits of consumer participation in standardisation to all stakeholders” synthesises the findings from three case studies examining ANEC’s contribution to different European standards. It focuses on analysing the different modalities of consumer contribution to standardisation as well as the impacts of this contribution, in particular for the industry. Since the study also aims to pave the way for further research in the area, the report also includes recommendations for future studies.
2013
European cross-border travel and tourism - Learning from consumer experiences and complaints
Travelling within Europe is not always easy, according to ANEC research study on complaints related to European cross-border travel and tourism carried out. In our survey of almost 6000 consumers, more than a quarter reported having problems when using cross-border tourism services within Europe. Car rental was seen as the most problematic area with almost one-quarter of users reporting a negative experience. People travelling by plane and train, and going on package holidays, also experienced a high level of problems, despite EU regulation in these areas.
Read more on the ANEC study on complaints related to European cross-border travel and tourism published in January 2014 and the ANEC leaflet: Key Facts on European cross-border complaints.
ANEC shared the findings with the Commission officials and relevant standardisation committees in CEN Strategic Advisory Group on Services (SAGS) and at ISO level in ISO TC 228 ‘Tourism and related services’. ISO TC 228 Newsletter featured an interview with ANEC on the subject.
ANEC also presented the study results at the European Tourism Day (ETD) 2014 that served as an occasion for the Commission to collect tourism stakeholders’ views for future European activities on European tourism promotion, challenges related to digital tourism, streamlining the regulatory and administrative framework and the feasibility of a quality initiative.
Following the results of this investigation, the ANEC Services WG developed the ANEC position paper: How can we make travel in the EU better for consumers?.
Models of special accommodation for older people across Europe
The study was commissioned by ANEC in order to inform future work on standardisation in relation to accommodation and care for older people. The aim of the research project was to compile an Information Record containing information on models of specialist accommodation and care for older people, and related standards, in use across the countries of the European Union, the acceding and candidate countries, and the EFTA countries: Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein (Total 38 countries).
A combination of primary (online questionnaire survey) and secondary research (literature review) techniques were used to gather information from as wide a range of sources as possible. The Information Record shows a considerable variation between countries in the amount of information recorded. The results of the study were sent to CEN SAGS during the discussion on future strategy on health care services standardisation with a view to consider ANEC findings in any potential standard related to social care.
More detailed information can be found in the report Models of special accommodation for older people across Europe.
2012
Requirements on Lighting (Light Intensity) and Reflectors of Bicycles
Lights and reflectors enhancing the visibility of bicycles are not harmonized in Member States. Thus, ANEC commissioned the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) to carry out a study, which has shown that there is sparse information or research on cycling accidents, safety and bicycle lighting. The report did find that many cyclists do not have functioning lights during times of darkness. Although there are often absolutely more accidents/casualties during the day, it is suspected that there will be relatively more accidents/casualties at night, however exposure figures are necessary in order to say conclusively. One known study that takes into account exposure figures came from the Netherlands which did conclude that night cycling was relatively more dangerous at night. However this was based on a country with a very high cycling modal share (25-35%) and could not be said to be representative of Europe. Confounding figures such as alcohol could also play a large part in night time accidents. Road safety and use of bicycle lighting in the EU are inconclusively linked.
Regarding traffic regulations and bicycle lighting there seem to be as many regulations as there are countries.
ANEC presented the study report at ISO level in view of the development of ISO 6742-1 'Cycles — Lighting and retro-reflective devices —Part 1: Lighting and light signalling devices' to ask for “to be seen lights” to be added to the standard to improve visibility and safety of the cyclist.
More detailed information can be found in the report 'Requirements on Lighting (Light Intensity) and Reflectors of Bicycles'.
2011
Requirements for finger entrapment in European safety standards
Currently static finger entrapment is addressed in most relevant European standards for children’s nursery equipment and child use & care articles, along with moving (dynamic) finger entrapment. However, there has been often considerable discussion about the dimensions and shape of the holes (or gaps) that pose risk. Furthermore, there has not been much input into dynamic finger entrapment. Hence, further research was required to fully prepare requirements for safety standards. The purpose of the ANEC study was to confirm requirements for static finger entrapment; to determine at what age/ability children start to put their fingers into gaps and openings, and to provide data to develop further requirements & test methods for dynamic finger entrapment. As the results showed children as young as 6 months use their fingers to explore, it can be concluded that children from 6 months should be protected by the requirements for finger entrapment.
ANEC presented the results of its research study into child finger entrapment to several CEN technical committees as well as a CENELEC committee.
