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Category: safety / Child Health and Behaviour / Retail / Industry

Retailers consider dumping button batteries as safety code released

Monday, 19 Sep 2016 09:17:27 | Rebecca Hyam

Swallowing the batteries can cause severe internal burns. (Supplied: Choice)

The consumer regulator is urging businesses to adopt a new voluntary safety code, designed to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from children swallowing button batteries.

Coles, Woolworths and Aldi are among some of the big retailers already supporting the new code, and will reassess whether they sell goods containing coin-sized lithium button batteries at all.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says each week, 20 children are taken to emergency rooms in Australia after suspected exposure to button batteries.

It has recalled 15 products in the past 18 months which were found to have unsafe button batteries.

The code stipulates consumer goods be manufactured so the battery compartment requires a tool to be opened, or that two or more independent and simultaneous actions are required to remove the cover.

The ACCC's deputy chairwoman, Delia Rickard, says with the miniaturisation of electronic products, unsecured button batteries have become increasingly accessible to young children.

"We find them in car remotes, TV remotes, kitchen scales, greeting cards — they are everywhere," Ms Rickard said.

"And unfortunately, if they are swallowed by a child, particularly one under five, it can get lodged in their oesophagus, and the saliva interacts with it to burn a hole through their throat — in worst cases leading to death — but also all too often leading to serious injuries sometimes which last an entire life."

Summer Steer Photo: Summer Steer died in 2013 after swallowing a lithium battery. (Supplied: Kidsafe Queensland)

A Queensland Coroner found four-year-old Summer Steer died in 2013 as a result of swallowing a button battery, and a Victorian Coroner is examining the death of another young child.

The Industry Code for Consumer Goods that Contain Button Batteries was developed by a range of businesses, led by Officeworks, and with help from importers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, industry associations, testing and standards and regulatory affairs businesses.

Ms Rickard said the safety code was a solid start to tackling the problem, but if more needed to be done, the ACCC would step in.

"The ACCC and state and territory fair trading regulators will be monitoring this very closely and if we don't see adequate improvement, we will be putting a case to government about the need for stronger regulation," she said.

AustraliaPlus


 

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