Electrical product: 108 bans issued
Every seventh electrical product inspected by the Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations ESTI in 2017 was found to be defective. 108 sales bans had to be imposed.
Market surveillance by the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) is carried out throughout Switzerland. Electrical products for household, office, trade and industry are randomly tested for conformity and safety.
117 safety deficiencies
According to ESTI, 1555 inspected products were recorded during visits to wholesalers, specialist markets, manufacturers and trade fairs, as well as during checks on websites and in the print media. Inspections were also carried out on the basis of reports from consumers, competitors and experts from the electrical sector.
In total, 217 products with defects were recorded, which in turn corresponds to 14% of all inspected electrical products. This includes 117 products with safety-related defects.
Potential hazard leads to sales ban
Due to a possible hazard, 108 sales bans had to be issued, as the Inspectorate for Heavy Current has announced. Particularly affected are portable household appliances, plugs and adapters, timers, batteries and chargers for laptops and smartphones, as well as various products with unauthorized plugs. It should also be noted that the sale of electrical devices with foreign household plugs (e.g. Schuko plugs) is prohibited in Switzerland.
ESTI points out that particular caution should be exercised with regard to online purchases of very low-priced electrical devices directly from the Far East. In many cases, such devices are imitation products that can become unsafe during longer operation due to the installation of electrically defective components and a rudimentary design.
In 23 cases, manufacturers and retailers withdrew affected products from the market on the basis of the Federal Product Safety Act (PrSG). In 16 cases, these recalls and safety information were also published on the website of the Office of Consumer Affairs BFK published. According to ESTI, this affected power strips, electric heaters, monitors, lights, grills, travel adapters, smoke detectors, bread bakers, printers, karaoke sets and notebooks.
When buying electrical equipment, ESTI recommends that you choose suppliers with an accessible and competent customer service in Switzerland and that you look for informative operating instructions and test marks affixed to the equipment. A recognized Swiss test mark is, for example, the ESTI safety mark. Devices with the safety mark are published at www.esti.admin.ch. Products with recognized test marks would demonstrate higher standards of product safety and offer added value to the buyer.
Source: Press release of the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations
