Product Safety

Toy and Nursery Safety Line - Call 1300 364 894

If you are worried about the safety of your child's toys or nursery equipment you can call the Toy and Nursery Safety Line on 1300 364 894 for information on product safety and to follow up any safety concerns.

Run in association with Consumer Affairs Victoria, the Toy and Nursery Safety Line helps Tasmanians and Victorians reduce the risk of injuries to babies and children as well as:

Providing product safety updates;
Answering queries; and
Following up on concerns you wish to report in relation to toys and nursery equipment.

National Product Safety Website

The National Product Safety website exists to help consumers make informed decisions about their purchases, choose safe products, and avoid product-related injuries. The www.productsafety.gov.au site provides detailed information and advice on many different types of consumer goods ranging from baby products and toys, to clothing and sports equipment. The website also enables consumers to report unsafe products, make an enquiry and lodge a complaint.

Retailers and manufacturers can also access important information about product bans and mandatory safety standards, to assist them in ensuring that they make and sell only safe products.

Climb, tumble, fall - steps to furniture safety

This four-minute film developed by Queensland Fair Trading explains how furniture around your home can be dangerous for young children, and provides information on how to make your home safe.

Tips for reducing the risk of injuries to babies and children:

Only use toys and nursery products suitable for the age of the child;
Watch and check children while they are playing with toys or using nursery equipment;
Follow instructions for assembling toys and nursery products;
Ensure all parts are provided and are in safe working order. This is very important when using second hand goods;
Follow instructions for using toys and nursery products as injuries can occur through misuse; and
Dispose of any damaged toys or nursery products unless you can get the manufacturer to make repairs.

A range of Product safety publications are available here.

What is an Unsafe Product?

Unsafe products are those likely to cause injury or death, possibly because:

The products fail to function in the way claimed by the manufacturer or supplier;
Their quality is below that claimed by the manufacturer or supplier; or
They do not include instructions for use or the instructions are inadequate.

Australian Standards

In some cases, rather than control the supply of products, it is more appropriate to declare mandatory information or establish safety standards to require that a product meet certain conditions.

Mandatory safety standards are declared for products that have been shown to present undue hazards or where it is considered that consumers need to be informed about a product. In declaring mandatory standards the government protects consumers by specifying minimum requirements that must be met before products are sold.

There are two types of mandatory product standards:

Safety standards: These require goods to comply with particular performance, composition, contents, methods of manufacture or processing, design, construction, finish or packaging rules (e.g. construction of toys for children under three years).
Information standards: These require prescribed information to be given to consumers when they purchase specified goods (e.g. labelling for cosmetics, tobacco products and care labelling for clothing and textile products).

Product Recalls

If products are found to be unsafe they can be recalled from the marketplace. Usually a voluntary recall is undertaken by the supplier, who asks consumers who have purchased the product to either dispose of it, or return it for a refund, replacement or a modification.

For information on a recalled product visit the Product Recalls Australia website at www.recalls.gov.au or you can download the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Recalls Australia iPhone App from the iTunes store.