3,000 items go under the spotlight - Annual product safety survey
Issue Date: - Thursday, 11 December 2008
More than 150 retail outlets have been visited by Product Safety Officers who inspected over 3,000 toys and consumer products in this year’s pre Christmas product safety survey. Items inspected included:
- Toys with small parts
- Children’s spring loaded umbrellas
- Projectile toys
- Decorated candles
- Flotation devices/swimming aids
- Bicycles
- Toys possibly containing lead
Just 6 items were found to be unsafe and were removed from sale.
“We were particularly mindful this year of toys containing traces of lead and I am pleased that our inspections did not detect any items with lead in them,” Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll said.
“Correct labelling, durability, lead content and age appropriateness of products was in the forefront of our inspections this year,” she said.
Non-compliant products detected, removed from shelves and targeted for formal recall undertakings were:
- Candle accessories (flammable decorations)
- Toy trucks (incorrect age grading)
- Swimming aids (labelling/incorrect warning)
- Candle holders (flammable)
- Citronella bamboo candles (flammable)
- Babies dummies (labelling/correct safety information not on packaging)
“Unsafe items found in previous surveys are no longer on sale and retailers that do the right thing in keeping unsafe products off their shelves are to be congratulated,” Commissioner Driscoll said.
“Heavy penalties apply for selling unsafe products with fines up to $100,000 for companies and $20,000 for sole traders and individuals. Infringement notices are also being used and can leave traders out of pocket up to $1,000 per offence,” she said.
Consumer Protection can be contacted on telephone number 1300 30 40 54 or email consumer@docep.wa.gov.au to report the sale of suspected unsafe toys and products.