Evaluating corrective action

Having carried out the risk assessment, consider appropriate corrective action in light of the seriousness of potential risks, the product’s location in the supply chain and any relevant regulation.

Key actions could include:

  • doing nothing
  • informing distributors/retailers of the problem, for example to enable them to check products during service visits or prior to sale
  • issuing detailed product instructions to current/future users
  • issuing safety warnings to consumers, retailers and intermediaries in the supply chain
  • introducing a positive release system (ensuring products meet all relevant quality/safety testing requirements before being released)
  • ceasing or suspending release of further product or even suspending production
  • withdrawing products from the distribution chain
  • recalling affected products from consumers. This will typically involve publishing notices in the national or local press for countries where products have been sold and/or providing notices for display at point of sale

Product withdrawals and/or recalls are usually viewed as a last resort. Other measures may often be more proportionate to the risk involved, more effective at managing that risk and less likely to expose the organisation to high costs and unfavourable publicity.

Regulations and associated guidance (where available) will often dictate the appropriate response. Discussions between the incident management (IM) team and the regulators can help establish what this should be. Immediate notification to the regulators may sometimes be required (see Discussions with regulators).

Even if no risk to consumer safety has arisen, the organisation may wish to take corrective action to show consumers, the media and potential litigants that the business has done everything possible to mitigate the effects of the issue.

If a recall is required, other corrective actions such as consumer alerts, supply chain withdrawal, prohibition on downstream sales and product quarantine may also be necessary. Careful consideration should be given to the scope of any recall. For example, an EU-wide European recall would only be required if potentially unsafe products had been sold in every member state.