Published
Stay safe as you keep warm this winter - see our top tips and video.
As cooler weather sets in around the country, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has product safety tips to help Australians be more aware of how they can avoid burns, injury and death while trying to stay warm.
Top winter product safety tips:
- Never use boiling water to fill your hot water bottle and replace it as soon as it starts to look cracked or worn. See our hot water bottle safety video below.
- Only buy wheat bags or other heat packs that come with clear heating instructions, and never overheat your bag as this could cause the bag to ignite and start a fire.
- Download the free iPhone or Android Recalls Australia app to see if a winter product you plan to use has been recalled (see tips below).
- Before winter starts, carefully check that your electric blankets, hot water bottles and other winter items are in good condition and have not been recalled – and if the goods have been recalled return them to the store for refund or remedy. See tips on checking recalls below.
- Children’s clothing with a ‘low fire danger’ label is still flammable so always keep children away from open heat sources.
Video: Hot water bottles - The hidden dangers
This safety video outlines the dangers behind hot water bottles if they are used incorrectly.
Checking for recalls
There are a few ways you can check for and stay up to date with Australian product safety recalls. You can:
- visit the Recalls Australia website www.recalls.gov.au
- subscribe to email alerts and RSS feeds on the Recalls website
- download the Recalls Australia app to your Android device or iPhone
- follow us on Twitter for our recall tweets @ACCCProdSafety
- 'Like' our ACCC Product Safety Facebook page for our daily Recall Roundups and other recalls information.