A third hot water bottle importer, McGloins Pty Ltd, has taken steps to ensure its products are safe following concerns raised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
"The action follows concern that certificates of compliance with the British Standard were being provided to importers by overseas manufacturers but the certificates were either false or were generic and did not necessarily apply to the hot water bottles being imported", ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said today.
"McGloins Pty Ltd has offered the ACCC court-enforceable undertakings, agreeing to only supply hot water bottles representing compliance with the British Standard where it can provide genuine certification for each specific model, and will implement strong compliance programs.
"These cases highlight the need for importers to check the products they are bringing into the country and not just rely on certificates provided by manufacturers", Mr Samuel, said.
"Consumers should be able to have the upmost confidence in products which claim compliance with a standard and the onus is on importers and suppliers to ensure such claims are justified".
There is currently no standard for hot water bottles in Australia but this may change. To alert consumers to the hazards of misusing hot water bottles, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Mr Pearce, formally issued a warning notice to the public by Gazette on 5 September 2005.
The ACCC will undertake a public education program before this winter, urging consumers to follow instructions on hot water bottle packaging carefully.
In November 2005 two hot water bottle importers, Livingstone International Pty Ltd and Mayvic Pty Ltd, gave the ACCC court-enforceable undertakings, agreeing to stop supplying certain hot water bottles, retailed under the names Livingstone and Sweda respectively.