The ACCC alleges, based on independent testing it commissioned, that the e-cigarette products sold by Social-Lites and Elusion did in fact contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals found in conventional cigarettes, including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein.
Source: ACCC takes action against e-cigarette suppliers for alleged misleading “no toxic chemicals” claims
The affected batteries have the potential to overheat.
Risk of fire and burn hazard.
Source: HP PPS Australia Pty Ltd—HP Notebook Computer Batteries
The RCM is now mandatory for electrical safety in Australia and New Zealand On March 1, 2013, Australia’s Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) commenced the transition to replace the C-tick and A-tick …
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
| New Electrical Equipment Declared Articles (New Zealand) |
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| 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. |
IEEE Symposium on Product Compliance Engineering (ISPCE)
The Mission of the ISPCE it to provide a forum for product safety engineers and design engineers to discuss and disseminate technical information related to product safety, to enhance personal product safety engineering skills, and to provide product safety engineering outreach to engineers, students and others with an interest in this field as well as the related fields of product safety regulatory compliance.
2016 Preliminary Program: http://2016.psessymposium.org/program
Registration: http://2016.psessymposium.org/registration
Source: Welcome | Conference Starup
What are the defects?
There is a risk that the rechargeable battery pack may overheat cause smoke or may ignite.
What are the hazards?
If the defect occurs, there is a risk of a fire or a burn hazard to consumers and to the CF-S10 Panasonic Toughbook Computer
Source: Panasonic Australia Pty Ltd—Rechargeable Battery Pack CF-VZSU61U
“Australian consumers must be able to rely on the safety of goods supplied to them by retailers. By failing to recall and remove products from its shelves for some time after it became aware that the products were defective, Woolworths misled Australian consumers and placed their safety at risk. The significant penalties imposed in this case reflect the serious nature of Woolworths’ conduct.” Mr Sims said “In the future, companies generally must do more to detect unsafe products and remove them from their shelves. The Court has ordered Woolworths to implement an upgraded, dedicated product safety compliance program, and its quality assurance processes will be monitored by an external auditor”.
“Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the two prong Apple AC wall plug adapters designed for use in Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Argentina and Brazil may break and create a risk of electrical shock if touched. These wall plug adapters shipped from 2003 to 2015 with Mac and certain iOS devices, and were also included in the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit.”
See details at the Source: Apple AC Wall Plug Adapter Exchange Program – Apple Support
What are the defects?
The AC supply flexible cord of the cordset can fail at the entry to the appliance connector where it plugs into the power supply unit for the device, or at the entry to the power socket.
What are the hazards?
Risk of electric shock and fire.
Source: Microsoft Corporation—Microsoft AC Power Cordset for Surface Pro, Pro 2 & Selected Pro 3 Models
A new lithium-ion battery shuts down before overheating and then restarts once it cools down, preventing fires that have plagued electronic devices. The new battery technology, developed by Stanford University Professor Zhenan Bao and her colleagues, could prevent the kind of fires that have prompted recalls and bans on a wide range of battery-powered devices
Source: New Li-ion battery won’t overheat :: Industry News :: ElectronicsOnline
When lithium-ion batteries overheat, they can burn through internal pockets, burst into flames, and even explode. One reason such damage can occur is the formation of dendrites—finger-like deposits of lithium that can grow long enough to pierce the barrier between a lithium-ion battery’s halves and cause it to short out.
Dendrites form when a battery electrode degrades and metal ions deposit onto the electrode’s surface. …
In their latest work, Stanford researchers used chemicals designed to prevent dendrite formation.
Overview:
A battery can catch fire due to an internal short circuit. When a short circuit occurs, it causes overheating of the cells within a battery, which can ultimately lead to a condition known as “thermal runaway”, which doesn’t typically confine itself to just one cell. Increasing pressure and temperature within a cell can cause it to explode and vent its contents. This can lead to neighboring cells going into thermal runaway as well.
Lithium fires are unique in that they are not typically extinguished in the same manner as ordinary combustible fires. Depending on the type of battery, non-traditional extinguishing agents, such as halotron or copper powder, may be needed. A lithium metal fire is treated differently from a lithium-ion fire in that each requires different firefighting agents.
See more information at via How Lithium Batteries Become a Workplace Hazard – Lion Technology.
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.
Sourcing safe products is a responsibility that all suppliers must meet. This webinar is aimed at businesses that supply products within the Australian marketplace and want more information on their responsibilities when sourcing products for their consumers.
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