Business Basics: 4 Steps to Creating a Product That Won't Need to Be Recalled

Product recalls can cost your company millions of dollars. What's more, they can damage the trust that consumers have in your brand and your products. Here are just four tips for avoiding product recalls and keeping your business out of negative safety press.

1. Comply With All Industry Regulations

There's no need for guesswork here. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) keeps detailed lists and databases for compliance standards, and they've even divided them by industry for your convenience. Whether you're making beauty products or agricultural tools, there's a list somewhere that outlines the tests that you need to perform and the standards that you need to meet before an item goes on the market. You just have to access it and follow its instructions.

2. Strengthen Your Supply Chain

The average product has to go through a long line of distributors, manufacturers and compliance officers before it ever hits the shelves. If a defect can pass through so many people and still escape unnoticed, there's something wrong with your supply chain. Maybe it's a lack of communication between branches, or maybe it's a lack of accountability from your supervisors when something goes wrong. Whatever the problem, it needs to be identified and solved to create a more effective chain of command.

3. Perform Manufacturing Checks

This is how defects are found before products are shipped to the general public. From X-rays on baby strollers to impedance tests for printed circuit boards, like those from Streamline Circuits, there are many ways to test your merchandise, and you'll always want to double-check when it comes to safety. Do it multiple times down the assembly line and once again before the items are packed up and transported elsewhere. If possible, don't rely on visual inspections. Bring in technology that can find flaws that the naked eye will miss.

4. Outsource the Problem

If you're at all uncertain about your safety standards or testing protocols, it can help to bring in experts from outside your company. For example, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers certification for certain products and tools. You can also find industry-specific organizations that will test your goods or evaluate your readiness for a product launch. You can't always judge your own problems from inside of them, so let third-party professional's help. Product recalls can be disastrous events, so don't let yourself fall into the abyss of bad press, outraged customers and heavy industry fines. Take precautions today to ensure the success and safety of your products tomorrow.