ESTI: many safety-related deficiencies
The "defect rate" remains high: every seventh electrotechnical product continues to be rejected. According to the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations ESTI, 15% of the electrical products inspected in 2015 had defects. 82 sales bans and sales stops had to be issued. In addition, 17 recalls and safety information of products from the household, living and IT sectors as well as from building technology were publicly posted and consumers were informed.
The market surveillance by the ESTI is carried out in all parts of Switzerland and is carried out in accordance with the Ordinance on Low-Voltage Electrical Products (NEV). Electrical products for household, office, commercial and industrial use are randomly tested for conformity and safety. This ensures that only safe electrical products are on the market in Switzerland.
208 products with defects
The products inspected were recorded on the occasion of trade fair visits, visits to wholesalers, specialist markets and manufacturers, as well as in the context of inspections on Internet platforms and in print media. Inspections were also carried out on the basis of reports from consumers, competitors and experts from the electrical sector.
A total of 208 products with defects were recorded, of which 116 were safety-related defects. This means that, as in the previous year, 15% of all electrotechnical products inspected again had defects, according to ESTI.
Schuko plug prohibited
If there is a danger for the user, the ESTI can prohibit the further provision of a product on the market. In 2015, 82 sales bans and suspensions had to be issued, according to the test center. Particularly affected were LED lamps as well as luminaires, power cords, kettles, radiant heaters, travel adapters, rechargeable batteries for PCs, products in heating systems and plugs with inadequate electrical properties on a wide range of devices, ESTI writes. In this context, it is essential to note that the sale of electrical devices with foreign household plugs (for example, Schuko plugs) is prohibited in Switzerland.
Website recalls
In 20 cases, retailers and manufacturers as the economic operators concerned had themselves withdrawn products from the market on the basis of the Federal Product Safety Act (PrSG) and informed ESTI accordingly. In 17 cases, these recalls and safety information were published in cooperation with ESTI on the website of the Consumer Affairs Offices publicly posted: This involved power cords for notebook computers, commercial electric water heaters, various portable hot tubs, heated ski boots, table lamps, chargers, PC speakers, commercial condensate pumps, fans, blenders, radios, tablet PCs, photovoltaic inverters, children's lights and LED spotlights.
Pay attention to test marks
ESTI recommends that consumers purchase electrical equipment from reputable suppliers with competent customer service in Switzerland and that they look for informative operating instructions and test marks affixed to the product. Recognized Swiss test marks are, for example, the ESTI safety mark - such devices with a safety mark are available at www.esti.admin.ch published - and the SEV mark of conformity from Electrosuisse. Devices with these test marks would meet higher requirements for product safety.
