Office for Product Safety and Standards
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is a UK government regulatory agency, established in 2018 under the Department for Business and Trade, that issues mandatory product safety recalls and coordinates with local Trading Standards authorities to protect UK consumers from hazardous goods.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Office for Product Safety and Standards does
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is a UK government regulatory agency established in 2018 and headquartered in Birmingham. Operating under the Department for Business and Trade, OPSS is responsible for consumer product safety regulation across the United Kingdom, with a workforce of 251–500 employees. The agency issues mandatory product recalls, coordinates enforcement with local Trading Standards authorities, and seizes hazardous consumer goods from retailers. A representative action was the Squeezy Dumplings recall, where imitation products sold by Samsons Cash and Carry Ltd were found to contain hazardous chemicals including benzene by Trading Standards officials at Swansea Council, leading to the seizure of over 1,000 non-compliant toys from retailers in Hull.
OPSS does not operate a commercial business model. It is funded through UK government departmental budgets rather than product or service revenue, and accordingly has no public pricing for its regulatory outputs. Its primary constituents are UK consumers — particularly parents purchasing toys for children — and the wider UK public, which it protects from hazardous products in the market. Distribution and communication occur through official government channels including GOV.UK, press releases, and direct coordination with local Trading Standards authorities for public safety announcements.
Strategically, OPSS's position rests on its statutory monopoly over UK consumer product safety regulation. The agency's competitive position is therefore defined not by market dynamics but by its legislative mandate, public ownership, and operational coordination network with local enforcement bodies. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platforms, M&A activity, or commercial funding rounds are associated with the agency in the available data.
Office for Product Safety and Standards firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Office for Product Safety and Standards
- Legal name
- Office for Product Safety and Standards
- Website
- https://gov.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is a UK government regulatory agency, established in 2018 under the Department for Business and Trade, that issues mandatory product safety recalls and coordinates with local Trading Standards authorities to protect UK consumers from hazardous goods.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Office for Product Safety and Standards industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Product Safety Regulation
- NAICS
- Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Occupational Safety & Health Authorities (Workplace Safety Regulators) (HLAJAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support) (BPABAHAJ), Security Systems Testing, Inspection & Preventive Maintenance (Ops) (BPABAMAI)
Keywords
Where Office for Product Safety and Standards is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Office for Product Safety and Standards business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Office for Product Safety and Standards product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OPSS is a UK government regulatory agency that delivers consumer protection and supports business confidence by enforcing product safety standards. Its core activities include issuing mandatory product recalls (e.g., the Squeezy Dumplings recall), coordinating with local Trading Standards authorities to seize hazardous goods such as imitation toys containing benzene, and publishing safety guidance and regulations for UK businesses and consumers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,000 toys seized from retailers in Hull as part of Squeezy Dumplings recall
Companies that use Office for Product Safety and Standards
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Office for Product Safety and Standards technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Office for Product Safety and Standards partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Office for Product Safety and Standards competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES): French public agency delivering scientific assessment and product safety risk analysis across consumer goods. Comparable to OPSS in mission and structure as a national risk assessor supporting consumer product safety enforcement.
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): German federal scientific body that assesses risks of consumer products including toys, chemicals, and cosmetics. Comparable as a national risk-assessment and product-safety authority supporting regulator decision-making.
- Trading Standards (Chartered Institute of Trading Standards): Professional body and umbrella network for UK local authority Trading Standards services. Directly comparable because OPSS relies on Trading Standards officers for on-the-ground inspection and seizure of non-compliant products.
- Health Canada (Consumer Product Safety Directorate): Canadian federal regulator with a consumer product safety programme that issues recalls and enforces the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. Functionally a close international peer to OPSS.
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): Australian federal regulator covering consumer protection, including product safety. Directly comparable to OPSS in function (consumer product safety oversight) and statutory recall powers, but operating under a different jurisdictional framework.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): The US federal agency charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from consumer products. It is the closest international counterpart to OPSS in mandate, structure (statutory regulator), and recall authority.
- Health and Safety Executive (HSE): UK statutory regulator for workplace health and safety, and also the UK's competent authority for chemicals regulation under REACH/CLP. Comparable to OPSS as a UK government enforcement body with mandate for safety and standards oversight.
- Food Standards Agency (FSA): UK non-ministerial government department responsible for food safety and hygiene. Comparable to OPSS as a similarly structured UK regulator focused on consumer safety, standards enforcement, and recall coordination.
Broad incumbents
- Competition and Markets Authority (CMA): UK government body responsible for consumer protection and competition enforcement. Comparable as a UK regulator with overlapping consumer-protection remit, though CMA's scope is broader and market-wide rather than product-specific.
Regional players
- European Commission - DG Justice and Consumers (Product Safety): Houses the EU's product safety and market surveillance policy and the Safety Gate/RAPEX rapid alert system. Highly comparable function to OPSS, though OPSS now operates outside the EU framework following Brexit.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Office for Product Safety and Standards financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Office for Product Safety and Standards leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Office for Product Safety and Standards funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Office for Product Safety and Standards M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Office for Product Safety and Standards
What does Office for Product Safety and Standards do?
OPSS is a UK government regulatory agency that delivers consumer protection and supports business confidence by enforcing product safety standards. Its core activities include issuing mandatory product recalls (e.g., the Squeezy Dumplings recall), coordinating with local Trading Standards authorities to seize hazardous goods such as imitation toys containing benzene, and publishing safety guidance and regulations for UK businesses and consumers.
Is Office for Product Safety and Standards a public or private company?
Office for Product Safety and Standards is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Office for Product Safety and Standards founded?
Office for Product Safety and Standards was founded in 2018. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Office for Product Safety and Standards based?
Office for Product Safety and Standards is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Office for Product Safety and Standards's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Trading Standards (Chartered Institute of Trading Standards), Health Canada (Consumer Product Safety Directorate), Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Food Standards Agency (FSA). Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is listed as a broad incumbent. European Commission - DG Justice and Consumers (Product Safety) is listed as a regional player.
Does Office for Product Safety and Standards have an API?
No public API is recorded for Office for Product Safety and Standards.
What industry is Office for Product Safety and Standards in?
Office for Product Safety and Standards's product category is Product Safety Regulation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAFAB, Occupational Safety & Health Authorities (Workplace Safety Regulators), with a secondary code of BPABAHAJ, Fire & Life Safety Code Compliance Inspections & Consulting (AHJ Support). Its NAICS code is 92615.