Electrical appliances: over 100 safety-related defects
15 percent of the electrical products inspected by the Heavy Current Inspectorate ESTI in 2022 showed defects. According to ESTI, 94 sales bans had to be issued. In addition, 13 recalls and safety warnings of electrical equipment were published.
Market surveillance by ESTI is carried out throughout Switzerland and is performed in accordance with the Ordinance on Low-Voltage Electrical Products. Electrical products for household, office, trade and industry are randomly checked for conformity and safety.
210 Formal or technical defects
According to the Inspectorate, 1375 products were registered on the Internet and through on-site inspections at points of sale. Further inspections were carried out directly at the manufacturers, through follow-up inspections and on the basis of reports from private individuals and specialists from the electrical sector.
A total of 210 products showed formal or technical defects, which corresponds to 15 percent of all inspected electrical products, according to the media release. Of these, 123 products were found to have safety-related defects that could lead to potential hazards such as electric shock, scalding, smoke development or fire.
In the event of a possible risk to persons or in the event of missing or incomplete proof of conformity, the ESTI can prohibit the provision of a product on the market. In the year under review, 94 sales bans were issued for these reasons: The products affected were various household and office appliances, LED lights, chargers, power banks and domestic batteries. Various products for industrial use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX zones) in industry and commerce were banned. In addition, numerous electrical appliances with an unauthorized foreign plug were again affected by a sales ban, it further said.
Schuko plug banned in Switzerland
The distribution of electrical appliances with a foreign plug (especially a Schuko plug) is generally prohibited in Switzerland, since live parts can be touched when attempting to plug them into the socket or through incorrect manipulation of the plug connection, as the ESTI explains the facts. In addition, such plug connections could be overloaded during operation and thus cause a fire. Consumers should reject such electrical appliances directly at the point of sale and can contact ESTI using the contact form at www.esti.admin.ch make a report as this writes.
According to the Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations, in 41 cases economic operators in Switzerland have withdrawn defective products from the market in cooperation with ESTI. In 13 cases, these recalls or safety warnings were also published on the communication channels of the Federal Office of Consumer Affairs (BFK) at www.konsum.admin.ch respectively www.recallswiss.admin.ch published. These were travel adapters, insect killers, solar panels, dehydrators, various LED lights, various lithium batteries and travel chargers.
Components for e-mobility also affected
Due to the rapid pace of technological development, ESTI also received numerous inquiries from manufacturers, dealers and private individuals about charging stations (wallboxes) and charging cables for electromobility, components for photovoltaic systems (inverters, solar modules, grid-connection units, etc.), plug-and-play photovoltaic systems up to 600 W output, power banks and house batteries for private and residential use, and the new Swiss IP55 household plug-in system for wet areas.
Furthermore, ESTI advises caution when buying on non-European platforms and websites without an accessible Swiss contact address of the operator. You are responsible for the dangers and risks posed by the device. Caution is also advised in the case of bargains. Often such offered devices are inferior goods with incomplete product tests, which are or could become unsafe over a longer period of operation due to inferior electrical components and rudimentary construction. For consumers, this is hardly recognizable by eye, according to ESTI.
When buying electrical appliances, the Inspectorate for Heavy Current Advises to look for a correct Swiss plug, an accessible and competent customer service, comprehensible operating instructions and test marks affixed to the appliance. A recognized Swiss test mark is the voluntary safety mark of ESTI. Devices certified with the safety mark are available under www.esti.admin.ch published. Devices with recognized test marks would demonstrate higher standards of product safety and thus offer consumers added value, the press release concludes.
Source: ESTI
