EU testing shows serious risk of shocks and fire in many lights. Stay safe – turn them off when you go to bed or leave the house.
market surveillance
Mattel fined $2.3 mln for tainted toys from China
* Mattel fined for lead-tainted toys from China
* Law bans toys with more than 0.06 pct lead in coatings Adds details throughout)
WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Friday it fined Mattel Inc (MAT.N) $2.3 million for violating a ban on bringing dangerous products into the United States.
New EU rules for safe toys for our children
The European Commission welcomes today’s adoption by the European Parliament of its proposal to substantially strengthen EU-rules on toy safety. It gives consumers assurance that toys sold in the EU fulfil the highest safety requirements world-wide, especially those relating to the use of chemical substances.
German authorities raid at high tech fair
With an impressive force of 220 inspectors, German custom authorities raided several companies in the Berlin on Saturday, seizing flat-screen televisions and other electronics from stands at IFA, the world’s largest consumer electronics fair.
A German court had ruled late on Thursday that several east Asian and European firms were marketing unlicensed patented technology at IFA and authorized 69 raids, a spokesman for Berlin’s customs investigation office said. Hyandai IT Corp was among the raided companies. Uniformed customs police could be witnessed removing Hyundai’s flat-screen televisions in front of the public and trade visitors, leaving an empty stand with wires hanging from it. According to the spokesperson around 170 televisions, 140 MP3 music players, 21 mobile phones and 57 DVD recorders had been seized at IFA so far.
The theft of trade secrets by foreign companies is a sensitive topic in Germany, where the economy depends on a research-intensive export sector.
Similar but smaller raids have taken place at other German technology fairs such as Hanover’s Cebit in recent years.
Market Surveillance of products in the European Union
I found this video on YouTube that explains quite nicely how market surveillance works in the European Union. Market surveillance is the name for all activities related to the control of product safety and compliance by the inspection authorities of the Member States of the European Union. It shows you what these autorities do to find unsafe and non-compliant products and to prosecute the manufacturers and importers.
Did you have any encounters with the European market surveillance authorities? Let me know what your experience was.