- Be alert to toys and novelty items with dangerous button batteries
- Eight infringements handed out last year for unsafe products
- Infringement notices will be issued if non-compliant products are identified during the Show
The Perth Royal Show is a fun day out for families but parents are being warned to be alert to potentially unsafe novelty items and toys.
In 2022, Consumer Protection product safety inspectors issued eight infringement notices totalling $31,680 to Perth Royal Show stallholders and their suppliers for non-compliant novelty items and toys.
Non-compliant items included flower crowns, flashing veils and tiaras, watches and flashing necklaces which failed to comply with strict mandatory safety standards relating to button batteries. These can be deadly to young children if swallowed.
The severity of the issues detected ranged from incorrect labelling and packaging, to battery compartments not being properly secured or child resistant.
Consumer Protection product safety inspectors will be at the Show checking stalls and show bags for non-compliant items and will issue on-the-spot infringement notices.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Trish Blake said parents still need to check the products they purchase or win at the Show before giving them to children.
“If an item lights up, produces sound or is a watch, it will likely have a button battery that powers it,” Ms Blake said.
“Parents should check the battery compartment is secured with a screw or is not easily opened by doing a drop test – drop the item on the floor and if the battery comes loose after being dropped – do not give it to your child.
“If you check any items purchased while at the Show and find the button battery is not secure, you can request a refund from the stallholder and report it to Consumer Protection by taking a photo of the product and the stall you purchased it from.
“To safely dispose of a button battery at home, it is best to wrap it in sticky tape so they don’t pose a hazard to anyone else, keep it away from children and visit to find a location to safely recycle the battery.”
The Royal Agricultural Society of WA (RASWA) is also working collaboratively with Consumer Protection to provide information to stallholders about strict mandatory safety standards and has formed a sideshow safety team to do checks of equipment before and during the Show.
