Check your home for recalled products

Published

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is making it easier for consumers to check their consumer goods are safe with the new Product Safety Australia website.

“There were 670 recalls in Australia last financial year compared to 596 in the previous financial year. Consumers can easily check our Recalls information to ensure they don’t have any unsafe goods lying around in their homes or garages, and act quickly to remove potentially harmful products from their homes if they have been recalled,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

Number of recalls by product category year-on-year comparison. 2015-2016: Cars 182, Food and groceries 123, Electrical & gas 89, Hobbies sporting & recreation 79, Kids, 75, Home & garden 66, IT, phones & multimedia 11, Fashion & clothing 6, Industrial & business 6, Beauty & health 4, Agricultural & veterinary 3. 2014-2015: Cars 169, Food and groceries 71, Electrical & gas 104, Hobbies sporting & recreation 44, Kids, 78, Home & garden 58, IT, phones & multimedia 9, Fashion & clothing 3, Industrial & business 14, Beauty & health 11, Agricultural & veterinary 3. Note: this table describes top recall categories and does not include all recalls. Some consumer products fall into more than one category.

“It doesn't matter if you're at home, work or on the go as our new Product Safety site is fully mobile responsive enabling you to keep up-to-date on the latest product recalls and safety information from any device. By following the advice on this site, you can buy and use products wisely and protect yourself,” Ms Rickard said.

“Businesses can also use this helpful tool to ensure that unsafe products are removed from shelves.”

This year, the ACCC undertook a project to explore what factors may influence recall success.

The major findings were that recall rates are influenced most by:

  • price point
  • the availability of a customer list (so suppliers can contact affected consumers)
  • the lifespan of a product,
  • and consumer perception of the risk and hazard of the product.

“Our study indicated that the first eight weeks following notification are the most important. During the first six to eight weeks of a recall campaign, over 80 per cent of all products that are likely to come back are returned,” Ms Rickard said.

“The ACCC conducted a consumer survey to determine if there is a specific price point at which consumers would be motivated to return recalled consumer products. The poll results suggest that 70 per cent of people will return a recalled good that cost $25 or more.”

Sign up for email alerts on the latest recalled products. You can tailor the alerts to choose products that interest you.

Consumers can report an unsafe product to the ACCC by completing a simple web form to help protect others from harm.

The new website also provides consumers with safety education, lists the products that are managed by mandatory safety standards and explains which specialist agencies have responsibility for products that aren’t managed by the ACCC.

Responsible regulator

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

https://www.productsafety.gov.au/contact-us/for-consumers/make-an-enquiry

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