General Product Safety Regulation

GolfClubs4Cash Ltd

Golfclubs4cash Ltd - GPSR Statement

Background

Golfclubs4cash purchases all our products from consumers or golf clubs as secondhand items. For the benefit of GSPR we act as the responsible element of the supply chain regarding the safety of all goods.

We have grouped all our clubs together as each club is made up essentially of three to five components that we consider having a substantial effect on safety. The club head, the shaft, an adaptor, any weights and the grip. The club head is usually either screwed into the shaft via an adaptor or glued in. The grips are attached to shafts via a double-sided tape that is activated via a nontoxic solution. Any weights will be attached to the club via screws.

In essence, the behaviors of each golf club in the activity of the sport are the same although the user will use different levels of force. It is well evidenced that golf clubs go through a significant amount of research and development to establish that the designs match up with the forces expected to be placed on the product during activities.

Because we cannot document what has happened during the life cycle that the clubs we have purchased have gone through, we assess each product several times before it is sold to our customers. These are the stages the club goes through:

Buying analysis – before we buy a club, we inspect it to establish its condition. Depending on where we buy the club it may also be reinspected when we add it to our stock file.
The clubs are then cleaned, which requires close inspection of the club.
The clubs are then photographed using state-of-the-art equipment to create high-definition photos.
The clubs are then listed which requires a further check that the condition we had initially identified matches the club.
Finally, when we sell the club, further inspection is made to ensure the club will arrive in the state it was documented.

It is the above that gives us the confidence to assess the hazards of using a golf club as per the below along with recommendations for users to keep the clubs in a good and safe condition.

The Risk Assessment considers the likelihood of something happening and then the consequence of that happening. The risk level is then identified by multiplying the likelihood by the consequence. We have only considered what we believe could happen during any activity using the clubs.

Risk Assessment – Steel Shafted Golf Clubs

Potential Incident/hazard: The head coming away from the shaft during a swing or when the club contacts the ball (or ground if the swing is not accurate) and/or weight coming loose from head during swing

Who is at risk: The golfer, their playing partners and anyone in the vicinity (for instance people walking the golf course or around the driving range)

Likelihood: Possible but unlikely

Consequence: Minor Injury (most likely) but could be life threatening injury (slim chance)

Risk Level: Medium

Advice to control and mitigate the risk:

Clubs should be stored in warm, dry environment
Before each time of use the clubs, golfer should inspect the heads to ensure they are firmly fitted into the shaft. Any drivers that can have the loft adjusted should ensure that the torque is tight on the adaptor and should use a wrench to tighten if required.
Clubs should be transported in a suitable golf bag.

There are no further potential incidents/hazards that we have identified from the manufacturing/design however, we advise that golfers take advice from their local course management or PGA Professional on the use of golf clubs out on the course and follow any safety notices placed and read the back of the scorecards for localised rules on courses/driving ranges.

We advise customers to follow the following care suggestions:

Wash your clubs after each round with soapy water making sure the heads and grips of clubs are clean
If transporting your clubs in the boot of your car, make sure that there is no stress placed on the shaft – if there is remove the driver/long woods from the bag and store them loosely.
To retain a good grip of your golf clubs you should have the grips replaced every 30-40 rounds. Your local golf club should have a regripping service.
Before taking a shot, you should check that fellow players are at least 3-4 metres away from you and behind your stance.
If at a driving range, ensure that your longest club (usually the driver) can safely be swung without contacting the surroundings (pillars, bay dividers, walls, etc..
If on the golf course review your surroundings to ensure that there will no contact with surfaces (trees, rocks etc) during your follow through.

Risk Assessment – Graphite Shafted Golf Clubs

There are marginally more risks with any club that has a graphite shaft due to fact that the shaft put under tension can shatter and cause splinters and abrasions if not safely handled.

Potential Incident/hazard: The head coming away from the shaft during a swing or when the club contacts the ball, or the graphite shaft shatters (or contacts the ground if the swing is not accurate) and/or weight coming loose from head during swing

Who is at risk: The golfer, their playing partners and anyone in the vicinity (for instance people walking the golf course or around the driving range)

Likelihood: Possible but unlikely

Consequence: Minor Injury (most likely) but could be life threatening injury (slim chance)

Risk Level: Medium

Advice to control and mitigate the risk:
Clubs should be stored in warm, dry environment
Before each time of use the clubs, golfer should inspect the heads to ensure they are firmly fitted into the shaft. Any drivers that can have the loft adjusted should ensure that the torque is tight on the adaptor and should use a wrench to tighten if required.
Clubs should be transported in a suitable golf bag.

Risk Assessment and Commitments

We believe we are a low-risk organisation as we:

Don’t go direct to source products.
Do due diligence on our supply source where we buy from suppliers .
We have processes in place to ensure any purchases from consumers are free from criminal activity, and financially trackable. Should we subsequently identify criminal activity we would report this to law enforcement agencies.
We occasionally trade with brands who are aware of their obligations to source ethically and in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
During recruitment we ensure we verify the candidates “right to work” in the UK and that pay is only paid directly to the employee. We do not recruit from outside the UK and do not recruit agency staff.

Potential Incident/hazard: Should the shaft shatter, the club may be left with sharp edges.

Who is at risk: The golfer and anyone who would encounter the shaft after it has occurred.

Likelihood: Possible

Consequence: Minor Injury

Risk Level: Medium

Advice to control and mitigate the risk:

If shaft cracks/splits, ensure only to handle the intact part the furthest away part from the splinters.
When storing wrap toweling around the damaged part.
Never use the shaft with the slightest splintering and instead replace the shaft. Your local golf course or retailer should be able to advise you on this.

There are no further potential incidents/hazards that we have identified from the manufacturing/design however, we advise that golfers take advice from their local course management or PGA Professional on the use of golf clubs out on the course and follow any safety notices placed and read the back of the scorecards for localised rules on courses/driving ranges.

We advise customers to follow the following care suggestions:

Wash your clubs after each round with soapy water making sure the heads and grips of clubs are clean
If transporting your clubs in the boot of your car, make sure that there is no stress placed on the shaft – if there is remove the driver/long woods from the bag and store them loosely.
To retain a good grip of your golf clubs you should have the grips replaced every 30-40 rounds. Your local golf club should have a regripping service.
Before taking a shot, you should check that fellow players are at least 3-4 metres away from you and behind your stance.
If at a driving range, ensure that your longest club (usually the driver) can safely be swung without contacting the surroundings (pillars, bay dividers, walls, etc.
If on the golf course review your surroundings to ensure that there will be no contact with surfaces (trees, rocks etc) during your follow through.

Risk Assessment – Golf Bags

We can identify no significant incident/hazard created from the design or manufacture of golf bags however the nature of their use is that straps can become worn or loose and these should be inspected before rounds and replaced should the item have served its use.

Risk Assessment – GPS/Rangefinders

During use we can identify no significant incident/hazard created from the design or manufacture of GPS items or Rangefinders. Our only incident/hazard identified comes from how it is charged if the unit has an internal rechargeable battery.

Potential Incident/hazard: Plugging any electrical equipment has a risk with potentially life-threatening fires or electrical shocks however if used correctly the risk is greatly reduced. These appliances require very low electrical flow however consumers should be aware of third-party chargers that may not be made to Uk and EU standards.

Who is at risk: The user and anyone in the premises the item is being charged.

Likelihood: Rare

Consequence: Insignificant Injury (most likely) but could be catastrophic (slim chance)

Risk Level: Low - Medium

Advice to control and mitigate

Only use genuine manufacturers chargers
Ensure electrical sockets are checked to ensure safe to use
Limit the amount of time the item is left on charge to the manufacturer’s recommendation
Should you require a replacement instruction manual you should be able to find one online or contact us on the details below.

Risk Assessment – Accessories

We have assessed all current accessories that we sell into the EU and at present there are none that require any safety documentation. We will consistently review this as new products are identified.

Contact Details and Declaration

All items that we sell because they are used have been inspected by Golfclubs4cash Ltd and therefore we class ourselves as the responsible entity to take responsibility for the goods. Our contact details are as follows or you can contact us here:

Unit 43 Imex Business Centre, Dryden Road,
Bilston Glen Industrial Estate, Edinburgh,
EH20 9LZ

e-Mail: info@golfclubs4cash.co.uk

Our EU Representative is:

Appointed EU Representative:
Easy Access System Europe Oü, 6879218

Mustamäe tee 50, 10621,
Tallinn,
Estonia

gpsr.requests@easproject.com

+358 40 500 3575