ESTI: every seventh electrotechnical product rejected
Furthermore, every seventh electrotechnical product is found to be defective. In other words, 15 percent of the electrical products inspected by the Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) in 2015 had defects. The consequence: 82 sales bans and sales stops.
Electrical products for household, office, trade and industry are randomly tested for conformity and safety. This ensures that only safe electrical products are on the market in Switzerland.
In addition to the 82 sales bans, 17 recalls of products from the household, living and IT sectors as well as from domestic technology were issued publicly (Ordinance on Low-Voltage Electrical Products NEV). Consumers were also informed in detail about the various defects. Market surveillance by the ESTI is circulating in all parts of Switzerland.
Control of exhibition products
The products inspected were recorded on the occasion of visits to trade fairs, wholesale distributors, specialist markets and manufacturers, as well as in the context of inspections on Internet platforms and in the print media. Inspections were also carried out on the basis of reports from consumers, competitors and specialists in the electrical sector.
A total of 208 products with defects were recorded. This means that, as in the previous year, 15 percent of all electrotechnical products inspected were defective. Of these, 116 products contain safety-related defects.
Specific product defects
If there is a danger to the user, the ESTI can prohibit the further provision of a product on the market. In 2015, 82 sales bans and sales stops had to be imposed.
Particularly affected were LED lamps as well as luminaires, mains cables, kettles, radiant heaters, travel adapters, rechargeable batteries of PCs, products in heating systems as well as plugs with inadequate electrical properties on a wide range of appliances. In this context, it is important to note that the sale of electrical appliances with foreign household plugs (e.g. Schuko plugs) is prohibited in Switzerland.
In 20 cases, the trade and manufacturers, as the economic operators concerned, themselves withdrew products from the market on the basis of the Federal Product Safety Act (PrSG) and informed ESTI accordingly. In 17 cases, these recalls and safety information were posted publicly on the website of the Consumer Affairs Bureau (BFK) in collaboration with ESTI.
This concerned mains cables for notebook computers, commercial electric water heaters, various mobile whirlpools, heated ski boots, table lamps, chargers, PC speakers, commercial condensate pumps, fans, mixers, radios, tablet PCs, photovoltaic inverters, children's lights and LED spotlights. ESTI recommends that all consumers purchase electrical appliances from reputable suppliers with competent customer service in Switzerland, and that they look for informative operating instructions and test marks on the product. Recognised Swiss test marks include, for example, the ESTI safety mark - such appliances with safety marks are published at www.esti.admin.ch - and the SEV conformity mark from Electrosuisse. Devices with these test marks meet higher standards of product safety and thus offer consumers added value.
