Product Safety Australia are seeking input from consumers.
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Views sought on Product Safety Priorities
We’re seeking your views on how to address risks associated with toppling furniture and televisions, and inclined infant sleeping products.
Earlier this year, we announced in our Product Safety Priorities for 2021 that we would address the risk of deaths and injuries from these product types. We are going to identify strategies that could help reduce the risk, and implement them. Your views and experiences will help us to do this.
Toppling furniture and televisions
Toppling furniture and televisions cause injuries and deaths in Australia. Since 2000, at least 27 people have died and many more have been injured from toppling furniture and televisions. Children under the age of 5 are most at risk.
The majority of deaths have involved storage furniture such as chests of drawers and bookshelves, televisions, and the furniture on which televisions are placed. The safety risk is due to a combination of design factors and consumer behaviours. Many people do not realise the safety risks, and don’t receive appropriate safety guidance or anchoring kits.
- Learn these safety tips to reduce the risk of toppling furniture and televisions.
Infant inclined sleeping products
Infants can suffocate when sleeping in inclined products, such as bouncers, rockers, swings, loungers, bassinet-type products, wedges, recliners and sleep accessories. This is because of the incline, curvature of the backrest and soft sleeping surface. Between 2005 and 2019, these kinds of products were associated with 73 infant deaths in the United States.
We are concerned about the use of inclined products for infant sleep in Australia, because they go against an established body of evidence that infants should sleep on a flat and firm surface.
- Consider this important safety information if you already own or are considering purchasing one of these products.
Issues papers
We’ve released two issues papers, which set out more information about the risks associated with toppling furniture and televisions, and inclined infant sleeping products. Each paper includes potential options to address those risks and a list of questions we are asking for feedback on.
What we learn from your responses will help us to assess the factors affecting safety and the potential options which may help reducing the risk of injury and death. This may include regulatory and/or non-regulatory measures.
We encourage submissions from all interested parties including consumers, consumer safety advocates, retailers, manufacturers and medical professionals.
Submissions to the issues papers are open until:
- 11.59 pm 30 August 2021 for toppling furniture and televisions
- 11.59 pm 16 August 2021 for inclined infant sleeping products.
You can find each issues paper and information on how to make a submission on the ACCC consultation hub.
Kind regards,
Product Safety Australia
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
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And the Product Safety Australia priorities for 2021.
