Report an Incident Involving a Consumer Product

Health Canada's mission is to help the people of Canada maintain and improve their health. The Consumer Product Safety Directorate deals with reports of alleged violations of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and its regulations and the Cosmetic Regulations made under the Food and Drugs Act, with regard to consumer products and cosmetics.

Health Canada is also interested in receiving reports of incidents or injury reports related to consumer products and cosmetics that have been previously recalled (health and safety related complaints). Incidents or injuries may be about the same hazard or may be about a different hazard related to the same product.

Consumer Product Incident Report Form

Help on forms

If the incident you are reporting resulted in a serious injury and medical follow-up may be required, please contact a physician or seek medical attention immediately.

• Incident Reporting for Other Products (food, drugs, medical devices, pesticides, etc.)
• Additional Information on Reporting an Incident

Health Canada's policy is not to disclose personal information, unless the individual to whom the information relates consents to the disclosure or the disclosure is required or otherwise authorized by law.

Reports of health and safety incidents involving consumer products and/or cosmetics can be submitted by telephone, fax, e-mail, or through the form provided above. What happens when I submit my report?

Incident Reporting for Other Products

Some consumer incident reports fall outside the mandate of the Consumer Product Safety Directorate and are regulated by other branches, departments or agencies. If your report is related to one of the matters below, please contact the appropriate authority:

• Drug Products (e.g. painkillers)
  • Adverse Reaction to a Drug Product
• Food -  Canadian Food Inspection Agency
  • Allergen Labelling - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
  • Packaging - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Medical Devices (e.g.. pacemaker, hip implants, test kits for diagnosis)
• Natural Health Products (e.g. vitamins, herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines)
• Pesticides (e.g. insect repellent, lawn treatments)
•  Unfair Trade Practice - Competition Bureau

Additional Information on Reporting an Incident

What happens when I submit my report?

When received, your incident report will be reviewed to determine if further information is required and if the Consumer Product Safety Directorate is the appropriate organization to address your concern. If the report does warrant further consideration, you may be contacted by the Directorate for more information.

If the Directorate is not the appropriate organization to deal with the incident, you will be directed to the correct organization (including its name and contact). Your report will be forwarded only with your permission.

Since the Directorate deals with many reported product-related issues, all reports are initially prioritized according to the health and safety risk. Incidents representing a higher risk will receive priority attention. Actions taken by Health Canada will be consistent with the Directorate's compliance and enforcement policies and procedures. The objective is to achieve compliance using the most appropriate level of intervention. Not all reports will lead to further action from Health Canada.

What incident information is recommended in the submission of a report?

Information regarding the incident, for example:

• Number of victims, and their related injuries (if applicable)
• Type of medical treatment sought (home, doctor, hospital)
• Was the company notified of the incident? If so, what was the response?
• When did the incident occur?
• How did the incident occur? (What were the victims doing at the time of the incident?)
• Product brand name/name of manufacturer or importer
• Place of purchase (or Web address if purchased on-line)

Place of purchase: why is this information required?

Information regarding the specific store is important if Health Canada is required to contact or visit the location.

The following information is also helpful:

• Manufacturer/Importer address, place where the product was manufactured or imported from (usually found on the label or packaging of the product).
• Product UPC (provide all numbers listed), model number, lot number, serial number, other unique number, date of manufacture/import.
• Age recommendations found on the packaging of the product.
• When was the product purchased? (new, borrowed, second-hand)
• Do you still have the product?