Under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, all consumer goods, except those listed in the Schedule to the Ordinance, must comply with the general safety requirement or safety standards and specifications prescribed by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. The Ordinance imposes a statutory duty on manufacturers, importers and suppliers to ensure that the consumer goods they supply are reasonably safe. The Ordinance also imposes control on the advertising of consumer goods.

Consumer goods not covered by the Ordinance are food and water, pleasure craft and similar vessels, aircraft (other than hang-gliders), motor vehicles, gas, liquid petroleum gas containers, gas appliances, gas fittings and flexible gas tubing as defined under the Gas Safety Ordinance, electrical products, pesticides, tobacco and tobacco products, pharmaceutical products, poisons and antibiotics, traditional Chinese medicines, toys and children's products within the meaning of the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance, and any other goods the safety of which is controlled by specific legislation.

The Ordinance does not prescribe mandatory safety tests on products before they are put up for sale. Suppliers are however encouraged to have their consumer goods tested by an approved laboratory to determine whether or not they are reasonably safe.

The Consumer Goods Safety Regulation came into operation in April 1998. The Regulation requires that any warning or caution with respect to the safe keeping, use, consumption or disposal of any consumer goods must be given in both the Chinese and English languages. Further, the warning or caution must be legible and placed in a conspicuous position on the consumer goods, any package of the consumer goods, or a label securely affixed to the package, or a document enclosed in the package.

For enquiries regarding safety standards and specification, please write to or call in person at the Product Standards Information Bureau of the Innovation and Technology Commission at Immigration Tower, 36/F., 7 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Copies of all the above-mentioned Ordinances and the Trade Descriptions (Marking) Orders can be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Centre at G/F, Lower Block, Queensway Government Offices, Hong Kong.