Published
NSW Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts has alerted the public to an urgent safety recall of novelty cigarette lighters that pose a risk to young children.
The novelty lighters resemble toys and come in the shape of a turtle, duck, Santa Claus, handbag, ice cream cone, snowman, pig, racing car and skateboard.
“The design of these lighters makes them very appealing to children under the age of five who could mistake them for toys and suffer serious burns as a result,” Mr Roberts said.
“Any consumer in possession of these lighters should return them to the place of purchase to receive a full refund,” Mr Roberts said.
Toy-like novelty cigarette lighters that are likely to appeal to a child under five years of age by appearing to be a toy are banned for sale under Consumer Protection Notice No.18 of 2011.
“NSW Fair Trading recently agreed to survey the marketplace to ensure these dangerous lighters were not being supplied,” Mr Roberts said.
Investigations identified Trio Brothers Trading Pty Ltd, a company based in Meadowbrook Queensland, as the source of the lighters. They were distributed to retailers across Australia from January 2011 to October 2012.
Fair Trading ensured the company stopped distribution and notified its retail customers to remove the lighters from sale. Fair Trading also negotiated for the trader to initiate a voluntary recall of the lighters throughout Australia.
Trio Brothers Trading Pty Ltd has acknowledged that a further four varieties of lighters would be included in the recall.
Recall notices have today been published in newspapers across Australia. The company will register the details on the national recall website www.recalls.gov.au Consumers can also contact Trio Brothers Trading Pty Ltd on 1800 337 588.
Fair Trading is still examining the supply of the lighters by the company and appropriate enforcement action will be taken once the investigation is complete. For information on product safety visit the Fair Trading website.
Contact details
General inquiries
Call NSW Fair Trading on 13 32 20 or visit the NSW Fair Trading website: www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
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