Office for Product Safety and Standards OPSS

[edit] Introduction

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) was created in January 2018 from the regulatory delivery directorate of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Its role is to deliver consumer protection and to support business confidence, productivity and growth. It regulates a wide range of products with a focus on their safety and integrity, many of which are used in the construction sector. It is also the regulator for legal metrology, ensuring weighing and measuring instruments are accurate and reliable. The office does not cover vehicles which are regulated by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, or medicines which are covered by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency or food which is covered by the Food Standards Agency.

Responsibilities of the OPSS for consumers include:

Providing information to protect them from unsafe products.
Reporting the latest product safety updates, actions and recalls.
Improving the legal framework that defines product safety and standards for weighing and measuring equipment.
Overseeing the independent testing of gas and electricity meters.

For businesses:

Helping them comply with regulations.
Leading and co-ordinating product safety, legal measuring standards and hallmarking of regulatory systems.
Enforcing technical, environmental and product legislation.
Providing certification and testing services for weighing and measurement equipment.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), formerly the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) which had been formed in July 2001. In May 2002 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister became a separate department after absorbing the local government and regions portfolios from the defunct Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and named the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). In January 2018, the department was renamed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). In September 2021, it was again renamed to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), with greater policy powers across the entire United Kingdom, however with a focus on England.

The department is responsible for UK Government policy in the following areas, mainly in England:

The levelling up taskforce was formed in September 2021 headed by a former Bank of England chief economist. The levelling up policy was not initially defined in detail, but covers:

Investing in towns, cities, and rural and coastal areas.
Giving those areas more control over how investment is made.
Levelling up skills using apprenticeships and a £3 billion National Skills Fund.
Helping the farming and fishing industries.
Creating up to 10 freeports to help deprived communities.

Evidence given during the Grenfell Tower Inquiry demonstrated a clear need to confront poor practices in the construction products industry and establish new norms to restore public confidence. The National Regulator for Construction Products will encourage good practice, enforce the law, and educate the industry, the system cannot be fixed by regulatory intervention alone. All industry stakeholders have a part to play in changing the operational culture and must jointly accept this responsibility, including:

Establish its leadership within the sector.
Develop an evidence base.
Recruit staff with appropriate skills and knowledge.
Engage with stakeholders to build its capacity and understanding.
Review the regulatory system to highlight any gaps.
Liaise with the sector to set expectations.
It is also supporting local authorities in the enforcement of the current construction products regulations, drawing on existing legal powers and OPSS’ expertise in areas such as intelligence gathering, risk assessment and investigation.