THE Commissioner for Consumer Protection has urged South West residents to be careful of where they buy USB plug-in chargers from.
Consumer Protection recently released a list of 20 stores in WA which had been selling dangerous and unapproved USB plug-in chargers.
Product safety and regional officers have conducted a two-week search for the charges being sold in WA.
The blitz was launched after the tragic death of a NSW woman who was electrocuted while using headphones plugged into her laptop and talking on her mobile phone when it was being charged using an unapproved 240V ac charger.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll said the joint operation involved officers checking 144 retail outlets in WA, removing unsafe devices from sale.
“The stores have cooperated by removing the devices identified from sale, but our major concern is that these potentially deadly USB chargers and adapters could be in use in WA homes and workplaces, posing a serious risk to consumers,” she said.
“While we are confident that we have inspected all likely retail outlets, there may be some stores that could still be selling these dangerous products that we are not aware of, and they could also be available for sale on the internet.”
This list is available in the announcements section of the Department of Commerce website at commerce.wa.gov.au
