Category: Compliance Engineering

Adopting AS/NZS 62368.1 into national comms cable component and wiring standards (Australia)

by Paul, posted in ACMA, Compliance Engineering, Electrical Safety, General, LinkedIn, Telecommunications

Communications Alliance has published two draft standards for public comment on their web site, which now incorporate the principles of the new hazards-based standard: AS/NZS 62368.1:2018 (IEC 62368-1 2nd ed [MOD]). There is also an explanatory background paper. Public commenting closes on 24 May 2019. The standards are:

DR AS/CA S008:2019 Requirements for customer cabling products, and
DR AS/CA S009:2019 Installation requirements for customer cabling (Wiring rules)

Background Paper: DR S008 & DR S009 public comment background paper

The drafts are available for download from Communications Alliance at the following web address:

https://www.commsalliance.com.au/Documents/public-comment

Draft: DR S008_2019 (1,025 KB)

Draft: DR S009_2019 (2,442 KB)

New gas and electric safety standards to protect NSW Consumers

by Paul, posted in Compliance Engineering, Electrical Safety, LinkedIn, News, Product Safety

Consumers are set to benefit from improved safety standards in the gas and electrical goods industry when amended regulations commence on 1 September 2018.

The Act will provide multiple benefits, including:

  • Implementing a consistent compliance and enforcement regime for both gas and electricity energy sources;
  • Authorising NSW Fair Trading officers to seize or remove any unsafe gas appliance where an offence has been committed or the appliance is unsafe;
  • Aligning the maximum penalties for offences relating to gas safety with those relating to electricity safety; and, most importantly,
  • Addressing deficiencies in the current gas consumer safety provisions to better provide consumers and the NSW public.

Source: Improved gas and electric safety standards to protect NSW Consumers | Department of Finance, Services and Innovation

Fidget spinner recalled for failing the button battery test

by Paul, posted in Battery, children, Compliance Engineering, LinkedIn, News, Product Safety, Recalls

“Fidget Spinners help people channel their nervous energy into a toy conducive to one-hand fidgeting. Think of them as the modern equivalent of a stress ball. But a model … that features LED lights has been recalled for failing to conceal its button battery securely. Infants who swallow a button battery are exposed to serious health risks, warns Product Safety Australia.”

Source: Fidget spinner recalled for failing the button battery test

RELATED ARTICLES:

Fidget spinners probe launched in WA after reported eye injury, battery size concerns:

“An investigation has been launched …after an 11-year-old boy in Victoria reportedly suffered a serious eye injury from one of the models. A 10-year-old girl in the United States has also reportedly swallowed a small part of one of the models.”

Source: “http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-19/fidget-spinners-probe-launched-in-wa/8540730

/assets/js/kidspot-ie8-1494562072.js

Fidget spinners banned in schools after boy almost loses eye – Kidspot

“He threw the spinner up a little higher,” Molly said, “and he didn’t manage to catch the spinner but it came down and clipped the corner of his eye and crunch. He was very lucky not to lose his eyesight let alone his eyeball.”

Source: http://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/warnings-over-fidget-spinners-after-aussie-school-boy-nearly-loses-his-eye

Are Fidget Spinners Bad for You? Texas Girl Has Surgery After Swallowing Metal Toy Part

A young girl aged 10 in Houston was taken “to the emergency room after the girl swallowed part of her fidget spinner. (She) had put a metal piece of her fidget spinner in her mouth to clean it, and it went down her throat. (She was taken) to the Texas Childrens Hospital, where an X-ray revealed the part—called a bushing—was stuck in her esophagus. The girl had to have surgery to “endoscopically locate and remove the object,” which was about the size of a quarter…

Source: http://www.newsweek.com/fidget-spinners-injuries-kids-choking-611491

Grandmother warns popular toy could be a choking hazard | WSB-TV

She had just bought her 3 year old grandson the Fidget Spinner, and he and his mother were riding with her in the car. “He was playing with it going down the road,” then the child’s mother noticed the spinner had come apart and the child had the parts in his hand, including a small battery that lights up.

Source: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/grandmother-warns-popular-toy-could-be-a-choking-hazard/517930032

 

Death of child from falling television – Coroner’s Report (West Australia)

by Paul, posted in accidents and injuries, children, Compliance Engineering, Deaths, Inquests, LinkedIn, Product Safety

Two-year old Jasmine died at the Emergency Department of Fremantle Hospital on 11 February 2013 due to an injury to her chest caused by a television set falling on her.

She had been known to climb the wooden cabinet in the family room of her home to get closer to the television set that was placed upon it. While the her mother was temporarily out of the room, the child climbed on top of the 65 cm high wooden cabinet and then fell backwards to the floor, with the 37 inch LED television set also falling and landing on top of her. As a result she sustained a fatal injury to her chest.

The television set had been purchased new from the store in 2010 when Jasmine was about three months old. It weighed 15.8 kilograms. The heaviest part was at the base, being the part that impacted upon Jasmine’s torso.

Jasmine weighed approximately 21 kilograms and was 80 centimetres in height. She would not have been able to reach and pull the television set down by standing next to the cabinet.

Her death was preventable, and the inquest focused on drawing the public’s attention to the potential risk posed to a young child of a television set becoming unstable and toppling over.

The State Coroner found that she died from a chest injury, and death occurred by way of accident. The State Coroner highlighted the dangers of not adequately securing television sets to a fixed point.

Full report PDF available from the Source: Inquest into the Death of Jasmine Lilian CAMMERILLI

Samsung tested batteries in house, Note 7 banned from U.S. commercial aircraft – Evaluation Engineering

by Paul, posted in Battery, Compliance Engineering, LinkedIn, Product Safety

Samsung tested the batteries in its recalled Galaxy Note 7 using a CTIA-certified lab owned by the electronics giant, according to The Wall Street Journal… Lithium ion batteries for cellphones sold in the United States are tested in accordance with IEEE 1725 at […]

Eddie Forouzan, a member of the IEEE committee that developed the battery standard, (said) battery safety failure rates have dropped to parts per billion from the parts-per-million level that accompanied a flood of cheap batteries that proliferated in the early 2000s

A U.S. ban on carrying Note 7 cellphones on commercial aircraft either in cabin or in checked luggage (is in effect)

Source: Samsung tested batteries in house, Note 7 banned from U.S. commercial aircraft – Evaluation Engineering

Register Your Electrical Appliances To Stay Safe (UK)

by Paul, posted in Compliance Engineering, Electrical Safety, Fire, General, LinkedIn, News Snippets that catch my eye, Product Safety

Shoppers who register new and old appliances with the relevant manufacturer will greatly reduce the risk of a fire in their home.

Thousands of consumers are missing out on product safety warnings because they are not registering their fridges, freezers, toasters and washing machines. “There are more than 100 million large appliances in use in our homes and we keep them a very long time, but less than half (47%) of consumers registered the last product they bought. Unlike cars, this leaves the vast majority untraceable if a safety action or product recall becomes necessary,”.

Manufacturers need to identify and contact owners swiftly to organise a repair. SFRS is urging consumers to register their new and used appliances by logging onto the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) website – www.registermyappliance.org.uk – where they will find registration pages for 62 leading brands. The public should register all their appliances, including the older ones.

Product recall information can be found at http://www.registermyappliance.org.uk/products/recall-list/

 

Source: Register Your Electrical Appliances To Stay Safe | Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

New mandatory Australian safety standard (self-balancing scooters) (aka “Hoverboards”)

by Paul, posted in Compliance Engineering, Electrical Safety, LinkedIn, Product Safety

“The ACCC’s investigation found there are fire safety risks from defective charging devices, electrical circuitry and substandard lithium-ion batteries. “There have already been six house fires in Australia directly linked to the scooters, which has resulted in the destruction of two houses.“

The ACCC will work with state and territory electrical safety regulators to develop a longer-term solution.

Source: New mandatory safety standard (self-balancing scooters)

She woke in a pool of blood: hospital misdiagnosed baby who swallowed button battery, coroner hears

by Paul, posted in children, Compliance Engineering, LinkedIn, Product Safety

What we would give to have another chance to hear your voice, to feel your kiss and to see you grow,” wrote the Rees family in Isabella’s tribute.

At the age of one, Isabella swallowed a button battery. No one knows precisely when. It lodged in her oesophagus, and made her sick.

Her parents took her to hospital several times over two weeks, but staff didn’t pick up the presence of the battery until it was too late, the Coroners Court heard on Thursday.

She died in the morning of February, 4, 2015, from cardiac arrest, on the operating table at Sunshine Hospital.

Source: She woke in a pool of blood: hospital misdiagnosed baby who swallowed button battery, coroner hears

Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) for Australia and New Zealand | paulspiece.com

by Paul, posted in ACMA, Compliance Engineering, Electrical Safety, EMC, LinkedIn, Product Safety, Radio communications, RCM, Telecommunications

This paper and companion presentation were written by Paul W Robinson, Australia, and presented to the IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering (ISPCE) in Orange County, May 2016 …

Source: Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) for Australia and New Zealand | paulspiece.com

Worksafe New Zealand: New Electrical Equipment Declared Articles (April 2016)

by Paul, posted in Compliance Engineering, Electrical Safety, LinkedIn, New Zealand, News Snippets that catch my eye, Product Safety

New Electrical Equipment Declared Articles (New Zealand)
Energy Safety has revised the lists of High-risk and Medium-risk Declared Articles under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations. These are published in two Gazette notices dated 17 March 2016. These notices fully supersede the previous notices issued in 2006. The definitions that apply are principally those agreed and documented in AS/NZS 4417.

….

Additions are being made to the list of High-Risk Declared Articles in preparation of the full implementation of the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) scheme. The additions are all Australian Level 3 (the equivalent of New Zealand’s High Risk) declared articles. Energy Safety has undertaken modelling that confirms these products require intensive control in an aligned regime.

ACMA – RCM – end of transition period approaching

by Paul, posted in ACMA, Australian ICT, Australian Product Compliance Notes, Compliance Engineering, EMC, LinkedIn

The single Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) was introduced on 1 March 2013 with a three-year transition period to 29 February 2016.

The RCM illustrates a product’s compliance with all applicable ACMA standards—telecommunications, radiocommunications, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic energy (EME).

Suppliers must register on the online national database and start using the RCM by 1 March 2016.

Products that have already been labelled with the C-Tick or A-Tick can continue to be supplied until labelled stock has been exhausted.

Source: Single compliance mark—end of transition period approaching!

LED globes & TV reception interference | ACMA

by Paul, posted in Australian Product Compliance Notes, Compliance Engineering, LinkedIn

Some models of (imported) LED light globes cause interference to TV signals. This interference may consist of a sudden loss of signal or picture quality in a residence or neighbouring house. In these cases, the ACMA needs to be able to quickly contact the supplier of the globes to notify them of the problem. People experiencing TV reception problems may also wish to contact the supplier to arrange an exchange or refund.

The consequences of supplying a device that does not comply with Australian law can be serious and may risk your business’s reputation. Taking some simple steps before making a bulk purchase of LED globes (or any electronic device) directly from overseas will help prevent interference.

via LED globes & TV reception | ACMA.

Child safety – button or coin batteries (Ingestion risks and preventative measures)

by Paul, posted in children, Compliance Engineering, LinkedIn, Product Safety

This presentation was written by Paul W Robinson, Australia, and presented to the IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering (ISPCE) in Chicago in May 2015. It covers the identification of risks to children associated with the use of button or coin batteries or cells, the prevalence and severity of harm to children worldwide, and what can be done to mitigate the severity and frequency of injuries. An author’s copy of the PDF version of the submitted presentation is available at the link.

via Child safety – button or coin batteries (Ingestion risks and preventative measures) | paulspiece.com.

IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering (ISPCE) Registration Now Open

by Paul, posted in Compliance Engineering, Education, Product Safety

Online registration for the 2015 IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering (ISPCE) is now open. We invite you to see the sites of Chicago, engage in the 3 full day technical program, and view the packed exhibit hall on May 18-20, 2015.

via ISPCE Registration Now Open.

It covers papers, presentations, workshops and tutorials on all aspects of product safety and compliance engineering. Link to main site: http://psessymposium.org/