Our Import Surveillance Officers have detained a consignment at the Port of Felixstowe, and found that all the items included were unsafe.
The consignment contained 300 Mini Chainsaws, 400 Impact Drivers, 400 Cordless Drills and 200 Massager Guns.
After testing, the Mini Chainsaws were found to pose an electric shock hazard, as well as a risk of cutting, and as such, they did not meet the requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. There was no trigger guard on the chainsaws, which means it could easily be pressed by other items in the tool bag and the blade activated. This could potentially present a hazard of cutting to either the person carrying the bag or someone in proximity. A cover for the blade was not supplied making this scenario even more likely. The transformer was of a poor build quality because it did not meet the requirements for creepage and clearance. The product was also fitted with a counterfeit fuse.
The Impact Drivers did not meet the requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 as they poses a risk of electric shock. There was insufficient creepage and clearance found on the charger and transformer. The fuse also did not feature ballast and was considered to be counterfeit.
Much the same as the Impact Drivers, following testing the Cordless Drills were found to pose a risk of electric shock. There was insufficient creepage and clearance found on the charger and transformer. The plug on the product did not meet the dimensional requirements of BS 1363 because the live and neutral pins were too short. The standard requires this measurement to be between 17.2mm and 18.2mm where the product measured at 16.95mm. The product failed to meet the requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008.
The Massager Guns did not comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. Testing found that there was a risk of electric shock and/or overheating. The power supply unit did not safeguard from creepage and clearance. the conductors had been soldered onto their respective terminals. They had not been held in place independently of the soldered connection or securely hooked in position prior to soldering. There were no barriers to prevent a detached wire from reducing creepage distances and clearances to levels below the minimum required by the standard. The plug for the product did not meet the dimensional requirements of BS 1363. The British Standard requires the thickness of the live and neutral pins to be no greater than 4.05 mm. The thicknesses of the pins exceeded this limit and measured 4.11 mm.
The British Standard states that all exposed surfaces of plug pins shall be smooth and free from burrs or sharp edges and other irregularities which could cause damage or excessive wear to corresponding socket contacts or shutters. The dimensions of the sleeved parts of the pins differed from the metal parts of the pins. This resulted in a distinct step between the two that could cause damage to the socket and undue wear and tear to the sleeve. When tested, the lengths of the live and neutral pins were found to be too short.
The consignment was due to be delivered to an address in Staffordshire, but it will now be destroyed.
Help prevent flytipping, keep all paperwork for transactions if you're paying to have waste taken away and ask questions.
Cryptocurrency is not regulated in the same way as other investments, so it’s important to take care and beware of scams if you are thinking of investing.
To invest in crypto without falling for a scam always remember:
Never invest if someone is putting pressure on you – no legitimate organisation or person will try to rush or panic you.
Even if your friends are investing it doesn’t mean it’s genuine.
Most cryptocurrencies aren’t regulated by the FCA which means they’re not protected by the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme. If you are scammed it is unlikely you will recover any of your money.
We know that sometimes when making a complaint to a company or organisation, it can be difficult to know how to what to include in the letter.
Citizens Advice have a great library of templates that you can use. These include areas such as making a complaint about faulty good, poor service, how to complain about your internet provider and how to claim damages for misrepresented goods or services.
Black+Decker have issued a safety notice recall for their BES720 Black+Decker Table Saw, sold between June 2019 and July 2021
During use the guard may become misaligned and contact the saw blade. If the guard contacts the saw blade, the guard may break or make contact with the operator causing injury.
Stop using the table saw immediately.
Contact the Black+Decker Customer Service team using the contact details below to receive a free guard and riving knife upgrade at an authorised Service agent.
