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Tuesday 09 Apr 2013 @ 13:10
WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
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RoSPA: Buying Second-hand Goods
As the slow economic recovery continues, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has launched an online safety guide to buying second-hand goods.
Highlighting risks involved with buying used products from websites, pawn shops, car boots or charity shops, the guide includes advice on electrical household items, power tools, furniture, gas products and toys.
RoSPA’s guide to buying second-hand goods also warns never to buy child car seats or cycling helmets and other protective headgear without knowing the full history of the product and, most importantly, whether it has been involved in an accident. That is because these are “one-hit” items that can lose their protective value if the internal structure is damaged through being subjected to a collision or by simply dropping them on the floor.
Sheila Merrill, RoSPA’s public health adviser, said: “It feels great to pick up a bargain in a charity shop or at a car boot sale and a lot of families are turning to second-hand goods in the current economic climate.
“But RoSPA wants people to be aware of the additional risks involved. Buying a product second-hand is never as safe as purchasing something new. The main issue with second-hand goods is that people often don’t have the full packaging and instructions, or know the product’s full history.
“This guide is aimed at all kinds of people. Some may have fallen on hard times and be buying second-hand goods for the first time, others may be students who are trying to make their savings go that little bit further. It is an aid to help people make the best and safest choice of what is available.”
Guidance includes checking that electrical items, such as irons, and hair straighteners, do not have loose wires or other defects with a PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) test; looking for fire labels on furniture; and finding instructions on manufacturers’ websites for power tools and other equipment.
In regards to toys, parents are reminded to always look for a CE Mark, which indicates that the product complies with European safety requirements, and to consider the wear and tear of the product as loose parts can be a choking hazard, particularly to children under 36 months.
The risks are very real when you consider the most recent fire statistics for Great Britain; in 2011/12, there were 979 house fires in which upholstered furniture was mainly responsible for the development of the fire and a further 928 blazes in which mattresses or beds were primarily responsible for fire development - leading to 71 deaths between them.
In addition, 3,461 people were admitted to hospital after accidents involving household machinery and other powered hand tools in England in 2011/12.
For advice and tips on buying second-hand goods, visit:
www.rospa.com/homesafety/adviceandinformation/product/secondhand-goods.aspx
www.rospa.com/homesafety/adviceandinformation/product/secondhand-goods.aspx
