Product confessions: incident reporting infographic
By the numbers:
Consumer products and cosmetics incident reporting
Did you know you can report injuries, near misses or safety concerns caused by consumer products and cosmetics? It's easy and it could save lives.
It's part of Health Canada's job to help keep children, families and everyone in Canada safe from potentially harmful products — but you can help, too.
You can tell us about any injuries or property damage caused, near misses that happened, or any concerns you have about the safety of consumer products or cosmetics. Your reports will help us look into possible dangers and take action to help keep everyone safe.
We would all benefit if more people in Canada reported.
Need – 72% - Percentage of people in Canada who seek out information on safety issues related to products
Awareness – 36% - Percentage of people in Canada who are aware they can report safety incidents to Health Canada
Action – 9% - Percentage of people in Canada who have personally reported safety incidents in the past
Source: Fact Based Survey On Consumer Products And Cosmetics – Health Canada Survey Report October 2020
Injuries are serious – but can also be preventable.
In the year 2018:
- 17,475 deaths were related to injuries in Canada
- 61,400 disabilities were caused by injuries in Canada
- 231,530 hospitalizations were caused by injuries in Canada
Health Canada received only about 2,355 incident reports in the same year. While not all injuries can be attributed to unsafe products, this low number suggests many incidents are not being reported.
Source: Cost of Injury in Canada 2021 – Parachute report
Injuries, deaths, near misses and property damage are caused by many products each year.
Health Canada received 1,986 consumer and cosmetic product incident reports in 2020.
Top 10 consumer products reported in 2020:
- Toys
- Electric ranges or ovens
- Telephones or accessories
- Laundry soaps or detergents
- Computers
- Chairs
- Thermostats
- Diapers
- Riding lawnmowers or garden tractors
- Dishwashers
Top 10 cosmetic products reported in 2020:
- Cleansers
- Moisturizers
- Makeup (non-permanent)
- Conditioners
- Shampoos
- Styling products
- Bath products (including bath bombs, salts, and oils)
- Nail polish remover
- Straightening, waving, and curling products
- Antiperspirant/deodorant
10 Consumer products reported involving a death in 2020
- Riding lawnmower and garden tractors
- Laundry soap and detergents
- Generators
- Lighters
- Baby strollers
- Car seats
- Candles and candle holders
- Baby slings and wraps
- Bassinets and cradles
- Propane, LP and butane gas tanks and fittings
Source: Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program Annual Surveillance Report: 2020
There are 3 simple steps to reporting.
Reporting only takes a few minutes and may prevent others from experiencing the impacts or deaths in the future.
- Go to Canada.ca/report-a-product.
- Fill in the online reporting form for consumers.
- Click submit.
Your products can't tell us that they're not safe – but you can.
You can learn more or submit a report at Canada.ca/report-a-product.
Your story can protect others.