The ACCC is leading a nationwide blitz on unsafe hot water bottles after more than 10 people in New South Wales alone were hospitalised with severe burns during the 2009 winter.
Initial investigations by government consumer agencies across Australia have found some hot water bottles fail to meet mandatory safety requirements.The mandatory standard requires hot water bottles to be of an acceptable capacity and thickness, and to meet stringent performance tests relating to leakages, seam strength and pressure.
The ACCC will take action against businesses that supply hot water bottles that do not comply with the mandatory product safety standard. Where non-compliant hot water bottles are found, recalls may occur and the ACCC may take other legal action.
Consumers of hot water bottles are urged to take extreme caution when using hot water bottles. Tips on using hot water bottles safely are available on the ACCC website.
Working safely under vehicles
A South Australian man recently died and a Victorian man was admitted to hospital with serious injuries after the cars they were working under collapsed. The ACCC urges people to take extreme caution when using vehicle jacks, ramps and stands and trolley jacks.
More than 50 per cent of vehicle jack-related injuries occur at home. Many accidents appear to be associated with the inappropriate use of vehicle jacks that are designed only for changing tyres—not for working under vehicles.
Serious injury and death can occur if people:
use the wrong jack, stand or ramp for the vehicle
use a trolley jack with no other appropriate support
use a jack that is meant only for changing tyres to work under a car
Review of the existing product safety recalls system
The Product Safety Branch is currently undertaking a review of the consumer product safety recall system administered by the ACCC. This review is one of a number of reforms approved by the Council of Australian Governments as part of the wider Australian Consumer Law reforms.
The review will consider the effectiveness of the current product recall system and identify best practice by examining the how other regulators responsible for product safety, in Australia and internationally, respond to unsafe products.
Consumers and suppliers will have an opportunity to provide their insights into the way product recalls are currently undertaken and the role the ACCC plays in the recall system. Consumers and suppliers can access an online questionnaire about product recalls at accc.gov.au or recalls.gov.au.
The review will culminate in a paper examining the strengths of the current product recall system and identifying opportunities for improvement. The paper will be submitted to the Ministerial Council of Consumer Affairs in December 2009 for approval.
