A national product safety program has seen over 95,000 unsafe products recalled or removed from sale in just six months, and 100 retailers issued with warnings.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the recalled products include trolley jacks, children’s nightwear, bunk beds, cots, hot water bottles, blinds and curtains.
According to ACCC deputy chairman Peter Kell, over 1,300 retailers including major department stores, speciality stores, discount variety stores, small traders and online retailers were targeted between March and August 2011, and over 3,800 product lines inspected.
Kell said some of the retailers may face court action for selling products which fail to meet safety standards, and the ACCC plans to continue to take action against manufacturers, importers and retailers that do not comply with the mandatory standards.
“Suppliers must meet Australia’s mandatory standards or face potential prosecution with fines. The ACCC is ready to take action against any supplier who breaches these laws,” Mr Kell said.
“The ACCC was pleased to see high levels of compliance with some new national mandatory standards, including for products such as moveable soccer goals and corded blinds and curtains, which only came into effect this year. However, compliance in some product categories with long-standing mandatory safety standards, such as hydraulic trolley jacks, was poor.”
The ACCC and state and territory consumer protection agencies have already begun work on the next national surveillance program, which will focus on toys and children’s products and is due to be completed before Christmas.