Safety labels questioned: do they really reach the consumer?

Abstract

It is important for consumers to be made aware of the hazards involved when using a dangerous household chemical. As labelling is considered a means of providing this information, the European Union (EU) requires producers to label their products with hazard and safety information. Nevertheless, a huge number of accidents still occur with these chemicals.

COFACE found that it was not clear to what extent consumers in the various Member States of the EU actually understood and used the information on the label. In order for safety labels to have an effect, three stages in the processing of the information are crucial: labels must be read at the appropriate time, correctly understood and the consumer must act accordingly. By means of a questionnaire, consumers from nine Member States were asked for their knowledge and opinions on these issues.

The results of the study show that the reading habits of consumers concerning this kind of information are not optimal. Only a minority reads information when it is most useful: just before using a product. Most consumers are very self-confident with regard to their knowledge of a particular household product, and underestimate the dangers involved. In addition, the comprehension of some labels, i.e. of symbols and written warnings, is very poor. The basic reason for this seems to be the vagueness and the difficult wording used for hazard indications and safety recommendations.

Finally, most of the respondents think that, in general, safety advice is not followed by consumers. If future legislation aims at providing labels that are understood by consumers, the demand for more accurate and clear labelling should be taken into account. In addition, legislation should be accompanied by information campaigns to make consumers aware of the importance of reading and implementing safety labelling. In both preparation of legislation and information campaigns, consumer organizations can play an important role.

KeyWords:

• safety labels
• consumers
• reading habits
• comprehension
• implementation