Importer fined $3,000 for night-clothes fire safety standard breach
Published26 Apr 1996
Nationwide Importing Ltd has been fined $3,000 after pleading guilty in the Auckland District Court to supplying children's night-clothes which did not meet the product safety standard.
Nationwide was prosecuted by the Commerce Commission. The children's night clothes safety standard is made mandatory by the Fair Trading Act.
Commission Deputy Chairman Peter Allport said the safety standard is designed to protect children from the time they can crawl, from the dangers of wearing flammable or loose fitting garments around fires or heaters.
It applies to all businesses manufacturing, distributing and selling children's night clothes, including importers.
Mr Allport said that the safety standard takes a common sense approach to children's night clothes.
It defines them widely as any garments suitable to be used as night wear for children because that is typically how parents dress their children - they use a wide range of clothes as children's night wear.
The night clothes Nationwide imported were decorated as track suits, but because of their style and the fabric used to make them, their only practical use was as pyjamas.
All garments permitted by the safety standard must be correctly labelled - either LOW FIRE DANGER if made from low fire danger fabrics or WARNING: FLAMMABLE FABRIC if made in a form-fitting style from flammable fabric.
Loose fitting garments made from flammable fabric are prohibited.
The pyjamas Nationwide had imported had no fire safety labels at all.
Mr Allport said that if businesses do not label children's night clothes correctly the safety standard cannot work.
"It is important that all businesses in the industry understand what the safety standard requires them to do.
"It is also important they realise that the Commission pays close attention to any matter involving product safety standards. We will take strong action against any breach of a safety standard made mandatory by the Fair Trading Act."
Media contact: Communications Officer Vincent Cholewa
