The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today launched a consumer safety alert highlighting the dangers associated with the unsafe use of hot water bottles.
"The unsafe use of hot water bottles can result in severe burns and serious injury," ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said today. "This safety campaign will help inform people with winter now upon us."
Taking precautions such as storing your hot water bottle in a cool dry location and checking for signs of perishing before use can help eliminate risks.
The safety awareness brochure aims to highlight the dangers of hot water bottles to the 60+ demographic, particularly the very elderly. This follows the death of an 82-year-old woman in South Australia who sustained severe burns when her hot water bottle burst.
Under the product safety provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974, the ACCC has a role in helping protect Australian consumers from unsafe products.
Some products are not unsafe in themselves but there can be dangers associated with their incorrect use. The ACCC also acts to inform consumers about those risks.
The ACCC has produced the safety brochures and accompanying posters as part of a national consumer education campaign to alert people, and particularly the elderly and carers of the elderly, to the risks involved with the incorrect use of hot water bottles.
The guide alerts consumers to potentially dangerous situations, such as overfilling the bottle, or lying on the bottle in bed which can cause it to burst. The guide also outlines how the risks can be managed and aims to provide simple advice to users on how to use hot water bottles safely to prevent serious injury.
Copies of Safety Alert: Hot Water Bottles will be available from all ACCC offices in capital cities and Townsville, from the ACCC website, or from the ACCC Infocentre by calling 1300 302 502.