Product safety

Announcements

Serious injury highlights the danger of ethanol burners

A Perth woman has suffered serious burns to her face and upper body after an accident involving an ethanol burner. The 28 year old woman from Safety Bay was visiting a friend’s home nearby on 28 October 2016 and they were sitting outside when an ethanol burner was lit. The burner exploded and engulfed the woman causing serious injuries. She spent 17 days in an induced coma and is still recovering...
Consumer Protection
Media release
24 Nov 2016

Scary product safety issues at Halloween

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard The tradition of wearing costumes at Halloween has been around for centuries but it’s some of the more recent dressing-up trends that give Consumer Protection cause for concern. In the lead-up to October 31 st , we send product safety officers out to WA stores to inspect Halloween-themed items, which pose a risk to children, but we...
Consumer Protection
Department News
31 Oct 2016

Commissioner's Blog: Ladder safety - a rung too many, a reach too far

With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner David Hillyard As the warmer months approach, many of us have a list of home maintenance tasks to tick-off and that might include sprucing up hard-to-reach places during a ‘Spring-clean’, emptying gutters or pruning trees in the garden. It’s timely to talk about a growing and troubling product safety issue relating to the way ladders are used,...
Consumer Protection
Department News
05 Oct 2016

Ladder falls can kill or cause life-long injuries

Concern over the physical and psychological effects ladder falls have on seniors in our community has prompted a national safety education campaign to highlight the dangers. The campaign encourages older men to consider the consequences before engaging in risky ladder use, which may include serious debilitating injuries or even death. Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard...
Consumer Protection
Media release
13 Sep 2016

Commissioner's Blog: Website makes product safety checks easier

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard It’s now easier for you to check whether your consumer goods are safe thanks to the new Product Safety Australia website www.productsafety.gov.au , which I would urge you to add to your favourites and make use of. There were 670 recalls across the country in the last financial year compared to 596 in the previous financial year. The...
Consumer Protection
Department News
18 Aug 2016

Commissioner's Blog: Choose furniture wisely to protect children

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Many products we buy can be a danger to children. Often Consumer Protection voices concerns about small items such as parts that can choke, button batteries that can cause internal burns or potentially poisonous laundry detergent pods. But large items, such as furniture, also pose a big risk. Every year in Australia at least one...
Consumer Protection
Department News
05 Aug 2016

Commissioner's blog: Back to the future for hoverboards - two year mandatory standard introduced

An interim ban on electrically unsafe self-balancing scooters, also known as hoverboards, has now been introduced as a mandatory standard for the next two years. Self-balancing scooters are also known as gliders, smart boards, sky walkers or mod boards. Most two-wheel scooters are manufactured in China and range in retail in price in Australia from $150 to $1,000. The original ban came into place...
Consumer Protection
Department News
29 Jul 2016

Independent WA audit of Yuanda building products announced

Western Australian Building Commissioner Peter Gow today announced that the Building Commission will carry out an independent audit of the use of Yuanda products in the WA construction industry, beginning with the Perth Children’s Hospital.
Building and Energy
Media release
15 Jul 2016

Don’t be blind to the dangers of window cover cords

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Tragically, between one and two children die in Australian homes every year as a result of blind or curtain cords that don’t comply with safety standards causing choking or strangulation. There are similar deaths occurring regularly across the world. That’s why Consumer Protection WA recently joined fellow Australian and...
Consumer Protection
Department News
04 Jul 2016

Smiggle recalls yo-yos to protect children

Stationery and toy retailer Smiggle has removed a button battery-powered yo-yo from stores in WA, and across Australia, to protect children from injury or death. A product safety recall of the YoYo Loco is due to concerns about how easily the battery compartment can be opened, allowing access to button batteries, which can kill or seriously hurt young children if swallowed. Smiggle advises that...
Consumer Protection
Media release
29 Jun 2016

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