Consumer Protection has issued a Halloween warning about potentially deadly button batteries and other hazards found in some novelty items and trick-or-treat costumes. The agency’s product safety inspectors have been out and about ahead of Halloween and have identified a number of non-compliant products. A zombie face mask and a skull hat were both found to have button batteries that easily fell...

‘Panic-buying’ is a term we’d usually associate with grocery shopping in 2020, however there are suggestions it may be happening in the quad-bike industry currently on the eve of new safety regulations. We have been concerned to hear reports that some quad bike dealerships are running low on stock as farmers and other consumers rush to buy-up current models that do not meet the important new...

Heating appliances will soon be emerging from hibernation as cooler weather sets in, particularly with many of us working from home this winter. If you are using a gas heater, our colleagues at Building and Energy have issued a timely warning about the dangers of exposure to carbon monoxide, which can leak from faulty, poorly maintained or misused gas appliances. Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘...

While the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic is changing rapidly, we remain focussed on delivering our services while adhering to advice from Government to protect the health and safety of our staff and the wider community. The department is planning for a range of scenarios and endeavouring to ensure continuity of service. A number of functions can be performed remotely or by using our online...