3-minute read In the past week, while reading about International Women’s Day, I paused to consider the number of women involved in consumer product safety. I decided to write this article to reflect on the key role that women have in consumer safety – as professionals and as consumers. Meaningful work Product safety is a […]
Any Australian business that supplies products that use small silver ‘button’ batteries – or supplies the batteries themselves – will need to comply with new mandatory safety standards under the Australian Consumer Law which were declared in December. After a long period of uncertainty, we now know what the requirements are. All businesses need to […]
4 minute read “MAN GETS EAR BUD STUCK IN THROAT WHILE SLEEPING” That seems like a surprising headline – but it’s a logical risk if you stop to think about it. In product safety we always caution parents not to leave any loose objects in a cot which a baby may put in its mouth. […]
4 – minute read Compliance Officer Day is celebrated on 26 September each year. This year it falls on a Saturday, so you might like to take a moment before then to acknowledge your product safety compliance manager and staff this week. Compliance basics ISO standard 19600 – Compliance management systems – Guidelines sets out […]
5 minute read In many ways 2007 was a gamechanger. It was my job to help keep children safe, but toys became so hazardous we nearly had to cancel Christmas. It was also the year I began writing my first novel. World attention That year I represented Australia at the first ever consumer product safety […]
3 minute read We will shortly see the retirement of a veteran consumer product safety colleague. I’d like to pay tribute to Martin Rushton, who has been the mainstay of New Zealand’s product safety agency for around 15 years. (He was due to leave a few weeks ago, but has stayed on due to New […]
5 minute read There’s three things that mark out button batteries as a critical product safety hazard – the severity of the injuries, the ongoing rate of those injuries and the breadth of exposure to the product. Swallowing a button battery can be catastrophic. Many deaths have occurred around the world, including two in Australia. […]
3 minute read Keeping the family safe in isolation When kids are stuck indoors, they can get creative in how they keep themselves entertained. This article highlights three known hazards around the home that parents and carers need to watch out for. Magnetic toys Toys with small high-powered magnets are banned in Australia, because children […]
4 minute read In a first for product safety, a new documentary exposes the story of how everyday household products can present unacceptable hazards. Episode 3 of the new US Netflix ‘docuseries’, Broken, titled Deadly Dressers, examines furniture tip-overs that have killed and injured young children. It chronicles how changes to the way furniture is […]
3 minute read What changes are needed in Australian consumer policy to improve product safety? A Treasury consultation paper discussing a series of options to improve the current consumer product safety system is currently out for comment. Responses are open til 30 November. Options range from retaining the status quo, to introducing a comprehensive requirement […]