Retailer fined for breaching safety rules

Media Release
24 July 2009

Retailer fined for breaching electrical appliance safety rules

A bargain store in Panmure was convicted and fined $1,500, and $330 legal costs, for breaching the Electricity Regulations.

Style Master Limited was found guilty of offering for sale electrical products without first establishing their safety, in the Auckland District Court on 17 July 2009.

The products included a range of household electrical products such as table lamps, hair clippers and compact fluorescent light bulbs. These light bulbs were never intended to be used in New Zealand light socket presenting a safety risk to anyone who used them.

Despite prior education and warnings, Style Master Limited, which is trading in the old Fulsun shop in Panmure, disregarded public safety and continued to sell these products.

“This store continued to fail to take steps to ensure the safety of the electrical products it sold. While the items may be low cost, it does not mean retailers should be compromising safety,” said Richard Lamb, Compliance Officer, Energy Safety.

“Not establishing if something is safe before you supply it, not only puts your customers at risk, but your business too.”

Energy Safety is trying to get the message across to bargain type stores that they have a duty to ensure the safety of electrical products before they sell.

“We regularly monitor suppliers of electrical products, including bargain and low cost type stores. Our aim is to encourage all suppliers and retailers to take responsibility for the products they supply.

“With more people using energy efficient light bulbs, for example, it is important that consumers have confidence in what they buy. This type of careless trading could damage efforts to encourage more energy efficiency,” said Richard Lamb.

“Retailers should be cautious of who they source stock from and always ask how safety has been established.”

The rules are in place to protect consumers and encourage good business practices.

The prosecution was taken by Energy Safety, which is part of the Ministry of Economic Development. The company had breached Electricity Regulations 107(a) and 107(aa). Energy Safety is committed to ensuring the safe supply and use of electricity and gas. It undertakes an ongoing programme of investigations and audits of electrical and gas appliances.

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