The dangers of cheap chargers
| Published: 17th November 2008 20:54 |
TRADING STANDARDS in Buckinghamshire has backed a national campaign to strengthen the law to protect consumers from potentially lethal electrical products. The campaign, launched on Monday 17 November by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), calls for regulations on the supply of electrical equipment into the UK to be improved.
Gina Green, Buckinghamshire trading standards team leader, said: "The issue of the has mushroomed beyond belief since last year. We have found that there are approximately 1.9 million UK online sales of replacement chargers a year. All of the unbranded chargers that we have had tested have failed in respect to potential electrocution and overheating. Other authorities are reporting similar findings.
"Whilst we have a framework of laws designed to protect consumers from potentially unsafe electrical goods, enforcement is localised and piecemeal with no central coordinating body. The introduction of independent tests on imported products, prior to them being offered for sale in the UK, would eradicate the danger outright."
Buckinghamshire trading standards has produced a DVD, 'The True Cost of a 99p Charger', warning of the potential dangers of using cheap electrical chargers produced in China. The DVD is available online at www.buckscc.gov.uk or as a hard copy direct from Trading Standards. They have also launched a petition calling on the Prime Minister to stop potentially lethal electrical products being imported into the UK available at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/unsafe-chargers/
The TSI has made repeated calls for the Government to take action over dangerous electrical goods over the past few years and raised the issue again last November following the death of a young boy who was killed while using a faulty games console charger. Seven-year-old Connor O'Keeffe died while on a family holiday to Thailand in December 2006. He was electrocuted while playing with his Gameboy, using an unsafe counterfeit charger bought on the holiday island.
The TSI's product safety expert says no action has been taken by the Government to combat the problem of unsafe electrical goods.Therefore the new campaign urges Government to:
* Promote a national sampling and testing programme for products,
backed by adequate funding, and collate the details on a central database.
* Review the use of the CE mark - commonly interpreted as a declaration
that a product meets strict European safety standards but which, in the case of toys and electrical equipment, is in fact a self declaration of safety by the manufacturers. Other consumer products, including gas appliances and personal protection equipment, can only legally carry the CE mark after being tested and/or accredited by an independent organisation.
* Re-introduce a government-funded central database listing details of
incidents and injuries in the home and outside to highlight trends and areas of concern more quickly and effectively. These databases were maintained centrally until 2001-02.
* Work closely with internet auction sites to make sure they are aware
of their responsibilities on safety.
Ron Gainsford, chief executive of TSI, said: "Not enough is being done by the Government to protect consumers from purchasing dangerous products.
"We have repeatedly asked for changes to be made to the law and for new procedures to be put in place but nothing has materialised. It is vitally important the Government starts listening to our suggestions in order to prevent consumers being injured or killed by faulty electrical products.
"When buying electrical appliances that come from overseas, the main thing to check is that the plug is the correct type and voltage for the UK market and meets the requirements of UK plugs and sockets legislation."
Phil Buckle, director of charitable affairs at the Electrical Safety Council,
said: "Counterfeit and substandard electrical products risk lives and if no action is taken to combat the problem it's only a matter of time before we see further tragedies occur as more and more of these dangerous products find their way into UK homes.
"The Electrical Safety Council campaigns hard to raise awareness amongst consumers of the dangers of poor quality electrical goods, as well as working with responsible manufacturers and retailers to improve product safety standards, but Government needs to do more to tighten-up the regulations to prevent dangerous imports from making their way into the UK marketplace.
"The Electrical Safety Council fully supports the work that TSI and Buckingham trading standards is doing in helping to bring this issue to the fore. In the meantime, we urge consumers to be wary - if you are in any doubt as to the authenticity or safety of an electrical product, do not buy it, do not use it."
For more information or to view the DVD visits the Trading Standards web pages at http://www.buckscc.gov.uk
What do you think?
You will need to sign in to post a comment to this article. if you do not have an AboutMyArea account, you can join now for free.
