DOZENS of dangerous toys have been ordered off the shelves as part of NSW Fair Trading’s annual Christmas toy safety blitz.
This year’s pre-Christmas blitz saw NSW Fair Trading inspectors visit 903 businesses across NSW and inspect 10,727 individual products, with a focus on toys aimed at small children, aquatic toys and projectiles.
Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said 41 toys failed testing for children’s safety and were quickly swept off the shelves.
“These dodgy toys have been removed from stores and Fair Trading will take immediate action against those traders,” Mr Kean said.
The largest group of non-compliant toys was aimed at children three years and under, with dangerous small parts and choking hazards the most common risk.
In a stark warning to parents today, Mr Kean showed just how easy it would be for a child to break off a small part and choke in minutes.
“We found 31 toys with dangerous small parts that could be a serious choking hazard,” Mr Kean said.
“It would take mere minutes for a small child to choke on one of these tiny parts – but thanks to Fair Trading these toys are no longer on sale.”
Mr Kean said individuals caught selling dangerous toys face a maximum fine of $220,000 while companies can face fines of up to $1.1 million.
“We’ll come down hard on any trader putting kids at risk through the sale of these shonky products,” Mr Kean said.
“Keeping kids safe this Christmas is our number one priority.”
Customers who have inadvertently purchased an unsafe toy are entitled to a refund of the purchase price.
If they decide not to seek a refund, they should safely dispose of the toy immediately.
Further information, including the full list of non-compliant toys, is available at fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
This article appeared in The Daily Telegraph
