Lenovo Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd—Product Safety Recall for Lithium-ion batteries for Lenovo ‘Thinkpad’ branded notebooks

Posted on by Paul

The batteries being recalled were sold for Lenovo ‘ThinkPad’ branded notebooks from October 2010 to April 2011. They were:

  • a) included in Lenovo products,
  • b) distributed as stand-alone replacement packs, or
  • c) distributed as a stand-alone option.

The notebook models affected are: T510, W510, X100E, X201, X201s, Edge 11, Edge 13, Mini 10

To determine whether your battery is affected please visit: www.lenovo.com/batteryprogram2014

What are the defects?

The lithium-ion battery may overheat.

What are the hazards?

If the battery packs overheat, they pose the risk of fire and burn hazard to consumers.

via Lenovo Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd—Lithium-ion batteries for Lenovo ‘Thinkpad’ branded notebooks.

 

NHTSA closes Tesla (EV) fire inquiry as Model S gets new battery shield

Posted on by Paul

Tesla said today it has started building the Model S with a titanium underbody shield to prevent battery fires like the two that occurred in the United States last year when Model S drivers struck road debris.

via NHTSA closes Tesla fire inquiry as Model S gets new battery shield.

Solar PV systems leakage a danger at heights – Department of Justice and Attorney-General

Posted on by Paul

There have been several recent incidents of electric shocks through contact with the metallic panels and frames of some solar PV systems due to electrical leakage. These incidents have also had the potential to cause a fall from height if the roof itself is conductive.

The leakage, caused by the capacitance (ability to store an electrical charge) between the solar panels and dirt and water on the panels or the roof, generally increases when the solar panels are wet.

In some situations the leakage may cause an electrical potential (voltage) on the solar PV frames, the array mounting frames and any conductive materials (e.g. metallic roofing material). While these voltages may not produce a fatal electric shock, in higher risk environments such as working at heights, the reaction to a mild shock may increase the risk of a fall.

via Solar PV systems leakage a danger at heights – Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

Baby bath aids – Product safety bulletin

Posted on by Paul

This bulletin covers the mandatory product safety standard for baby bath aids and the need to properly label these products.

In Australia, between 1997 and 2005, six infants under 13 months drowned while in a baby bath aid.

According to the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia, children under two years of age are most vulnerable to drowning or near drowning in the bath. The incidents almost always occur when the competent adult supervising the child leaves the child unattended—even if it is for less than a minute. Children can drown within seconds in very little water.

The mandatory standard aims to protect children from the possibility of drowning by providing a permanent warning alerting the parent or caregiver that a baby should never be left alone in the bath or left in the care of another child.
Baby bath aids – Product safety bulletin.

EESS equipment registration (Australia) transitional arrangements update

Posted on by Paul

Extracts from an email and notice received from the ERAC Secretariat, dated 28 February 2014, republished with permission:

IMPORTANT NOTICE ON EESS REGISTRATION

  • Queensland introduced the EESS on 1 March 2013 with a transition phase extending to 28 February 2014. Due to the ongoing transition in other jurisdictions the EESS requirements after 1 March 2014 are:
  • If a Responsible Supplier has taken all reasonable actions for registration they will be considered as having met the requirements for registration as far as can be expected (This is due to some Certificates not yet being available on the national database).
  • Private certifiers can now upload their certificates to the EESS database. Regulators will continue to work through options to have NSW Fair Trading certificates details added to the national certification database.
  • To assist Responsible Suppliers, any level 3 equipment that is currently registered, or registered after 1 March 2014, will not require renewal of registration until further notice (the original equipment registration expiry date on the database will not trigger a requirement to renew).

See the PDF document in the link below for all the details and the fine print…

1 march 2014 EESS transitional final

It is understood that these transitional arrangements will be periodically reviewed. Further details should be placed on the official EESS web site later this week.

DISCLAIMER: As usual, this information is provided in good faith and is subject to interpretation and individual circumstances. No liability of any kind will be accepted arising from the provision or application of this information. Suppliers are expected to make their own independent legal and professional enquiries regarding their own business arrangements.

Man trapped naked in washing machine … olive oil rescue

Posted on by Paul

A Victorian man who became wedged naked in his washing machine during a prank says his freeing by rescue workers with the use of olive oil was “like a birthing”.

via Man who became trapped naked in washing machine says olive oil rescue was ‘like a birth’ – ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Recalls: NetComm Wireless Limited—NetComm Model NP504 500Mbps Powerline Adapter With AC Pass-through

Posted on by Paul

What are the defects?

The internal connection to the earth pin prong is deformed in some products of the affected batch, making them susceptible to not providing an earth connection.

What are the hazards?

In some circumstances, the fault could result in an electric shock.

via NetComm Wireless Limited—NetComm Model NP504 500Mbps Powerline Adapter With AC Pass-through.

PSA Parts Pty Ltd—Two Power Replacement Li-Ion Laptop Battery Pack (Australia recall notice)

Posted on by Paul

PSA Parts Pty Ltd—Two Power Replacement Li-Ion Laptop Battery Pack.

Product description

Two models of replacement Li-Ion laptop battery pack to suit various Toshiba and Hewlett Packard laptops.

What are the defects?

There is a risk that a capacitor inside the battery can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

Traders who sold this product

Sold nationally through computer and specialist battery stores. In addition, the batteries were sold online through various websites.

Australia Post—Travel Power Adaptor

Posted on by Paul

What are the defects?

Safety testing is not available for this specific adaptor with multiple plugs; therefore this product is not compliant with the Australian Safety Standards

via Australia Post—Travel Power Adaptor.

Product Safety Recall: Google Inc—Power Charger for the HP Chromebook 11 Computer

Posted on by Paul

What are the hazards?

If the HP Chromebook 11 Charger overheats or melts, the risk is potential dermal injury and damage to materials from contact with an overheated charger. There may also be a potential fire risk, although no fire has been reported.

via Google Inc—Power Charger for the HP Chromebook 11 Computer.

Study: More spending on fire suppression may lead to bigger fires

Posted on by Paul

The “firefighting trap” is a term often used by business managers to describe a shortsighted cycle of problem-solving: dealing with “fires,” or problems, as they arise, but failing to address the underlying cause, thereby increasing the chance that the same problem will crop up in the future.

via Study: More spending on fire suppression may lead to bigger fires.

▶ Product Safety Conference keynote address by ACCC Chairman Rod Sims – YouTube

Posted on by Paul

▶ Product Safety Conference keynote address by ACCC Chairman Rod Sims – YouTube.

 

Conference details were here: http://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/conferences-events/international-conference-on-product-safety

IEC brochure: Counterfeiting in electrical and electronic products

Posted on by Paul

Link to IEC_Counterfeiting_brochure_LR.pdf

Counterfeiting and piracy have grown into a global business estimated to exceed US $650 billion/year,
with more than half of the products moving through international trade channels (2008).
Counterfeit electrical and electronic products now occupy second place after pharmaceuticals…
nothing is safe from counterfeiting. While the appearance and packaging can be very convincing,
the products themselves are often sub-standard and may represent a severe safety hazard,
causing accidents and costing lives.

Australia EESS Q&A – UPS & PDU

Posted on by Paul

Note: this Q&A contains personal opinions only, that are of a general nature. They have not been reviewed or endorsed by any organisation or regulatory agency, but are provided as a friendly informational perspective only. In all cases, readers should rely on their own research and professional & legal advice.

Q: Are UPS or PDU covered by L2/L3 categories in the EESS (for example as battery chargers)?

A1a: I’m going to assume the enquirer meant a 230 V ac input-output UPS was intended.  The short answer is: although a UPS does charge a battery, it appears to be L1 equipment only. This is because the regulatory definitions are in AS/NZS 4417.2, and B.2.36 there specifies that for the device to be covered by L3 for Australia or L2 for NZ, it has to have an output voltage not exceeding 50 V a.c. or 120 V d.c only, which is the ELV range. In case of doubt, the referenced battery charger standard is AS/NZS 60335.2.29, and the latest version of that says it only applies to equipment with ELV outputs, so that can’t be applied to an LV (230 V range) output device either.

A1b: If the UPS has a detachable power cord set, the mains plug, flexible cord and the appliance coupler all need individual certification at L3. It’s a good idea to use already-certified standard cord sets, so if you’re using already approved parts in the cord set for the UPS,  you don’t have to certify them again to use with the UPS. If the cord set is non-detachable, only the mains plug is an L3 part.

A2: PDU (I assume the enquirer meant power distribution unit) is a little trickier. The short answer is they’re generally L1, but it depends, so please read on: The closest regulatory category to that is B.2.34 “Outlet device” in AS/NZS 4417.2. 

A2a: A PDU consisting of appliance outlets such as IEC 60320 types in a strip would be exempt from L2/L3 as a whole, because the definition for outlet device covers socket-outlet devices (as per definition B.2.45) only. 

A2b: Further, if the PDU was built into a machine, such as a rack, it’s not portable, and that would exempt it from B.2.34 as well even if it used AS/NZS 3112 socket-outlets.

A2c: The socket-outlet (if used instead of AS/NZS 60320 (IEC 60320) appliance outlets) itself would be L3, because of definition B.2.45.

A2d: The supply flexible cord (B.2.47) would also be exempt from L2/L3 if it is directly connected to the equipment (non-detachable) – because of part (f) of the definition.

A2e: The power attachment mains plug also needs to be considered L3 per B.2.35. Again, it’s a good idea to use certified parts if the part used is within the definition.

Hope the above observations will be of use to somebody. Again, the answers depend on your own product circumstances, and there might be other arrangements I haven’t discussed above, so its important to seek your own professional advice.

PWR.

Burning LCD TV set – Increased safety by flame retardant TV housings – YouTube

Posted on by Paul

Bayer MaterialScience – Burning LCD TV set – Increased safety by flame retardant TV housings – YouTube.

This short video (2m 46s) shows the different fire performance of two flat-screen TV sets which both comply with the safety standard IEC 60065, and have the external ignition test of IEC TS 62441 applied to them.  Safety requirements to protect against external ignition sources (like domestic candles) were implemented in Europe in 2010 to reduce the risk of house fires from TVs like the one on the right in the video. For more information on fire testing, see www.fire-testing.eu