ACCC offers safety advice for winter products
July 25th, 2012
Between the frosty mornings and chilly evenings, we all need a little help trying to stay warm this winter.
But just how safe are the products that we use as a source of heat?
To give households a helping hand when it comes to safety, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released its top winter product safety tips after a number of popular items were recalled, including hot water bottles.
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard explained that not only should Australians check that their winter warming devices haven’t been recalled, but they should also be aware when operating appliances such as heaters and electric blankets.
“At least one Australian has died and many others have been seriously burned after using boiling water to fill their hot water bottle,” she said.
“And we all love our winter PJs but some winter fabrics can be highly flammable. Be particularly careful near open flames such as fire places and gas stoves – we know that people have received serious burn injuries after reaching across a gas cooktop and having their nightwear or dressing gown catch fire.”
Some of the suggestions from the ACCC include teaching children to stay away from open heat sources – even if their clothing has a ‘low fire danger’ label – and only using outdoor heaters and barbeques in well-ventilated areas, not indoors.
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