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Safetyzone Autumn 2021

Safetyzone

Welcome to the Autumn 2020 edition of Safetyzone, the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) product safety newsletter.

Features

Fair Trading welcomes new button battery mandatory standards

Four new mandatory safety and information standards around the supply of button or coin batteries and consumer goods that contain or are powered by them came into effect on 22 December 2020.

In Australia, approximately one child a month sustains a serious injury from swallowing or inserting button batteries, and tragically three Australian children have died from button battery injuries.

Button batteries are ticking timebombs for children and can be found in a wide variety of products in our homes such as remote controls, torches, calculators, watches, scales, car keys and light up novelties.

Many of these items are cheaply made and the battery compartments are not secure or can break open easily, releasing the batteries.

The new standards

  • Consumer Goods (Products Containing Button/Coin Batteries) Safety Standard 2020
    This mandatory standard requires consumer goods containing button/coin batteries to have secure battery compartments, where the batteries are intended to be replaced, and to be subjected to compliance testing. Compliance testing applies whether or not the batteries are intended to be replaced, to demonstrate the battery is secure and not released during reasonably foreseeable use or misuse conditions.
  • Consumer Goods (Products Containing Button/Coin Batteries) Information Standard 2020
    This mandatory standard requires consumer goods containing button/coin batteries to provide warnings and information about the battery hazard on product packaging and in the instructions for use. Warnings are necessary when supplying consumer goods containing button/coin batteries to alert consumers to the battery hazard and to provide relevant information so that appropriate action can be taken when it is suspected that a child has swallowed or inserted a button or coin battery.
  • Consumer Goods (Button/Coin Batteries) Safety Standard 2020
    This mandatory standard prescribes requirements for child-resistant packaging when supplying button/coin batteries, based on their risk profile, to reduce the risk of death or serious injury to children because of accessing batteries directly from packaging.
  • Consumer Goods (Button/Coin Batteries) Information Standard 2020
    This mandatory standard prescribes warning requirements and best practice recommendations for button/coin battery packaging and button/coin batteries themselves. Button/coin battery packaging refers to all types of packaging or containers used when supplying button/coin batteries.

All businesses that supply button batteries or products containing button batteries must comply with the standards by June 2022, however, the sooner they are adopted the safer our children will be.

We strongly encourage traders to transition to the new standards as quickly as possible to help prevent further injuries.

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Going 4-wheel driving? Here's what you should know to stay safe

With three long weekends and a set of school holidays coming up, you may be planning an off-road adventure or two. Here are our tips to ensure you get out of strife safely.

Recovering a bogged car

Whether you’re churning up mud or sand, there’s always a chance of getting bogged. There are a few things you should pack to help recover a bogged vehicle, including a suitable recovery or snatch strap.

Recovery straps can be used to pull a bogged vehicle to safety; however, they can be unsafe if they are the wrong strength for your vehicle or if they are used incorrectly. Tragically, recovery strap accidents have caused a number of deaths in Queensland.

There are some steps you can take to help protect yourself and those around you.

Follow the product instructions.

This sounds simple, but in the heat of the moment when being guided by other drivers, it's all too easy to get it wrong.

By law, recovery straps must come with safety warnings, including their minimum breaking strength, and instruction for safe use.

Check the strap.

Check the strap every time you head off-road to ensure it isn’t damaged. Never use a damaged or fraying strap.

Attach the strap correctly.

Always attach your recovery strap to a point on the vehicle that is suitable to use with the strap to avoid ripping parts off your car and potentially causing injury or death. Your 4WD should have a designated recovery strap point. Never attach it to a standard tow ball or your vehicle’s tie-down point. They aren’t strong enough to pull a bogged vehicle.

You can always use a shackle, provided it complies with the legal standards and has a working load limit that’s higher than the strap’s minimum breaking strength.

Use the strap properly.

Only use recovery straps to pull a bogged vehicle to safety. Never use them to lift a vehicle or tow it.

Reduce rebounding.

Recovery straps are elastic. They can easily rebound when fully stretched, and this can be a safety hazard.

You can reduce the risk of rebounding by covering the straps with a recovery damper, a heavy bag, or a blanket.

Keep bystanders safe.

Rebounding straps area deadly. People have died from being struck by rebounding straps. Ensure any bystanders move away from the vehicles involved to a distance of at least 1.5 times the length of the unstretched strap.

Educate yourself.

If you are likely to use recovery straps, sign up for a 4-wheel-drive training course that includes training in using recovery straps.

Repairs and maintenance

Whether you’re changing a tyre, removing debris caught under your vehicle, or making some on-the-go repairs, it’s imperative you use the right equipment in the right way to lift your car safely, and keep it lifted until you’re finished.

Changing a tyre

A common tool for lifting a car to change a tyre is the trusty old jack. Unfortunately, around 160 serious injuries occur each year due to jacks, including amputation, crush injuries and fractures. In fact, falling cars have crushed and killed at least 46 people in the last 10 years.

When using a jack, you should always:

  • Use the right jack for the job. Not all jacks are the same—they have different functions and weight capacities.
  • Park your vehicle on a hard, level surface. Never park on a slope or on grass.
  • Apply the hand brake and chock your vehicle’s wheels (such as with bricks or purpose-made products) before raising the car.
  • Read the safety warnings on the jack. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions—they are there for a reason. Check the weight capacity of the jack and don’t try to lift more than the recommended weight.
  • Read your car’s workshop manual to find the correct place to position the jack. Only use the jack at one of these points. Using the wrong lifting point might make the jack slip or tip and the car may fall on you.

Working under the car

You should never just rely on a jack if you need to get under your vehicle. You should use support stands or a pair of ramps that meet the Australian Standards.

Never put any part of your body, especially your head, underneath the car while it's supported by a jack. Never let anybody stay inside the car while you lift it with a jack.

For more information on jack safety, visit the Product Safety Australia website and check out our video, Don’t be a jackass – an anti-manual for using a car jack.

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Which car seat when?

The type of child restraint you install will depend mainly on the child's age, but you may need to consider the child's size as well.

Babies up to 6 months of age must be in an approved, standards compliant, rear-facing restraint that is properly fastened and adjusted. We recommend babies stay in a rear-facing restraint for as long as their size allows.

Babies and children from 6 months and up to 4 years must be in an approved, standards compliant child restraint that is properly adjusted and fastened. The child restraint may be rear-facing or forward-facing with a built-in harness. However, we recommend babies and children stay in a rear-facing restraint for as long as their size allows.

Children aged 4 years and up to 7 years may be in an approved, standards compliant child restraint that is forward-facing with a built-in harness that is properly adjusted and fastened. They may also be in an approved, standards compliant booster seat secured with an adult lap-sash seatbelt or a fastened and adjusted H-Harness. However, research has indicated that the booster seat with a H-Harness option provides a lower level of safety in some types of crashes.

For more information, including when to move your child to the next type of restraint based on their size rather than their age, visit the Queensland Government website.

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Holiday safely, sleep soundly

If you’ve booked holiday accommodation for an Easter getaway or long weekend, there are a few things you should check when you arrive to ensure it is safe for your family.

Bunk beds

Make sure that:

  • the top bunk has guardrails on all sides
  • there are no gaps that could trap your child's head
  • younger children (9 years or under) only sleep on the bottom bunk
  • your children don’t jump or play on the bunks
  • you check that the ladder is secure.

Portable cots

Before you use a portable cot, check:

  • the sides and ends are locked into place
  • the mesh is not torn or broken
  • any change table or bassinette is securely in place with no straps hanging inside the cot
  • it complies with the mandatory Australian standard (AS/NZS 2195).

Blind and curtain cords

Children have been strangled after becoming tangled in long cords. Make sure to check:

  • all blind or curtain cords are out of reach of small children
  • beds, cots, and other furniture are not close enough for your child to reach blind or curtain cords.

Pool and spa areas

Always supervise your children around pool areas. Make sure you:

  • follow the safety rules
  • ensure your children’s pool toys or floatation and swimming aids are safe
  • ensure your children stay away from filter inlets and outlets.

Furniture

Don't let your children climb on the furniture, as it may topple over.

Don’t put tempting items on bookcases or shelves. This includes items such as:

  • feeding bottles
  • favourite toys
  • remote controls

Button batteries

Button batteries are an unfortunately easily overlooked killer in the home. These small shiny batteries are attractive to small children and, as we all know, children often decide something is a toy, regardless of its intended purpose.

It can take as little as two hours for button batteries to cause severe internal burns; and once ingested burning begins, it can continue even after the battery is removed. Repairing the damage, if it is caught in time, can be painful and may require multiple surgeries.

Tragically, a number of Australian children have suffered catastrophic internal injuries and could not be saved.

If you are staying in holiday accommodation or with friends or family over the upcoming long weekends, it is critical that when you arrive you identify all products containing button batteries and ensure they are kept out of reach of children.

It’s just as important to keep replacement or spare button batteries out of reach of children, and to dispose of old batteries immediately and safely.

Small children can’t always tell you what they have swallowed so if there is any doubt contact the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 16) and seek urgent medical attention.

Products containing button batteries include but are not limited to:

  • remote controls
  • watches
  • computers
  • cameras
  • calculators
  • torches
  • flameless candles
  • fitness devices
  • digital kitchen and bathroom scales
  • musical greeting cards
  • home medical devices.

For more information on holiday accommodation safety checks, visit our website.

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Don't turn ballin' into bawlin'

With the 2021 NBL season recently kicking off, it’s a good time to remind inspired fans about basketball ring and backboard safety.

There is a mandatory safety standard that sets out what suppliers must do and provide with basketball systems they sell.

The standard applies to basketball rings and backboards, including portable basketball systems, that are of a kind likely to be used around the home.

The standard does not apply to toy basketball rings or backboards for toy basketball rings. A toy basketball ring is defined as 'a miniature basketball ring (with or without a backboard) that is not designed to be permanently fixed to a fixture'. Examples include but are not limited to toy basketball rings designed to be used with a miniature soft ball, basketball rings designed to be hung over internal doors or attached to internal doors by way of suction cups or similar temporary means, and miniature portable basketball systems intended for use by toddlers.

Suppliers must provide warning information on basketball rings and backboards to discourage improper use. They must also provide instructions on how to safely instal these products, that:

  • give details of the type of structure to which the ring or backboard should be fixed
  • give details of the hardware to be used to fix the ring or backboard to the supporting structure
  • strongly warn against fixing the ring or backboard to brickwork
  • include advice to consult a structural engineer if there is any doubt about the safety or stability of the installation.

Consumers can keep themselves and their families safe by installing and using equipment properly. Improper use, such as swinging from the ring, can cause serious, potentially fatal injuries.

For more information on basketball rings and backboard safety, visit the Product Safety Australia website.

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Dangerous products still lurking in homes

Each year approximately 650 products are voluntarily recalled by suppliers. However, roughly half of all affected products are never returned. Excluding motor vehicles, this means around 1.7 million recalled products remain in people’s homes each year, which equates to almost one in four Australian households exposed to potential hazards.

Alarmingly, two people die and a further 145 receive injuries every day from unsafe consumer products.

So, how do you keep up-to-date? The ACCC’s Product Safety Australia website is the best source of national recall information. You can also subscribe to receive their recall alerts.

Information for traders

If you need to recall a product, you can find the information you need at Product Safety Australia.

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Takata airbag recall 99.9% complete

The ACCC has reported that car manufacturers have successfully recalled 99.9 per cent of the more than 3 million vehicles affected by deadly Takata airbags which are subject to a compulsory recall.

This is a great outcome for the biggest vehicle recall in Australia’s history. However, there are still some vehicles in the community that may still have deadly airbags.

State and territory transport departments now apply sanctions to vehicles that have not had their faulty airbags replaced. Deregistered vehicles will not be re-registered without confirmation that the airbag has been replaced.

Consumers can visit ismyairbagsafe.com.au, the Product Safety Australia website, or contact their manufacturer to check if their vehicle is affected.

For more information about steps being taken by the Department of Transport and Main Roads regarding vehicles still containing Takata airbags, visit the Queensland Government website.

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Recalls roundup

A product safety recall is the most common way for a supplier to remove unsafe goods from the supply chain. If you own one of the below items, follow the relevant link to find out what you need to do to make your item safe, or if you are entitled to a refund or replacement.

For more information on product recalls, visit the ACCC recalls website.

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Need help?

If you need help to identify product hazards, work with standards or develop a compliance plan, please contact the OFT's Consumer Product Safety Unit at OFT.Safety@justice.qld.gov.au. Fines for non-compliance with standards can be substantial so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

For more information on regulated products subject to mandatory standards and bans or to check for information about consumer products and services, visit the Product Safety Australia  website.

Want to report a product safety problem or seek advice?

Do you have some information you’d like to verify or are unsure about a product? The first step should be to visit the Product Safety Australia and OFT website. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can email the OFT Product Safety Unit at OFT.Safety@justice.qld.gov.au. We will try to answer any queries you may have concerning Product Safety within Queensland with a safety first approach, because your safety matters.

Feedback

If you find this Safetyzone newsletter useful, please tell us what you think by emailing OFT.Safety@justice.qld.gov.au.

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Last updated:
28 August 2023
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