- 96% of outdoor electrical products investigated failed safety tests, charity warns, posing a risk to shoppers
- Many of the products investigated, sold by third party sellers, were listed as suitable for outdoor use with tests revealing they were not
- Major online giants including Temu, Amazon & eBay found to be hosting the sale of dangerous outdoor goods
- One test shows an immersion heater that could be used to heat a paddling pool, burst into flames
- Charity demands overhaul of product safety laws to impose legal duty of care on online giants
Summer soirees are at risk of a shock, as electric BBQs, outdoor lighting and paddling pool heaters are found to risk fire and electric shock.
With the country soaking up the summer months, Brits scrambling for popular products to host friends and family at outdoor get-togethers are at risk of an unexpectedly shocking summer, a new investigation reveals.
Consumer safety charity, Electrical Safety First, tested 26 outdoor electrical products over a year-long period, with a staggering 96% posing a risk to the user having failed to meet safety standards.
The study tested products bought from third party sellers on a variety of major online marketplaces, including Temu, Amazon Marketplace, eBay, Wish and AliExpress.
Shockingly, all but one product failed at least one safety test, with 96% posing a risk of electric shock. Additionally, 46% of the products tested had both a risk of fire and electric shock.
Popular outdoor items, such as electric barbeques, were found to pose a risk of electric shock and fire due to being fitted with substandard plugs and counterfeit fuses. Extension leads, specifically marketed as being waterproof, failed to prevent water ingress – meaning the user could be exposed to a serious risk of electric shock when using the device if it was wet.
Products that were likely to be left out throughout the summer months, such as patio heaters and atmospheric festoon lighting for the warmer evenings, all failed to prevent water ingress leaving consumers highly exposed to serious electric shocks in the likely event the UK experienced rain in the summer.
Further testing undertaken on a water immersion heater, that could be used to warm the water in a children's paddling pool, saw the device catch fire when not submerged. Video footage of testing shows the water heater bursting into flames.
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First, commented: “Consumers are being duped into thinking products are safe for outdoor use, when in reality many of them pose a severe risk. These products are falling short of basic safety standards, putting consumers in danger. The persistence of dangerous products on online marketplaces, even after removal, points to a major problem that urgently needs addressing. It is not acceptable that shoppers are at risk from such prevalent dangers when shopping online.”
In total, 81% of the products failed water ingress protection tests, which are critical for outdoor safety. Festoon lighting and children’s paddling pool heaters were particularly problematic, with 89% of the festoon lights and all the pool heaters failing to meet safety standards.
The charity is concerned with the ‘whack-a-mole effect’ whereby when one product is removed for sale a similar or identical product could appear online soon after one is removed. The charity believes the current voluntary system of self-regulation by online giants is unfit to protect the public from harmful goods.
Lesley Rudd, chief executive of Electrical Safety First adds: “Strong and robust new laws for online marketplaces are needed to end their arms length approach to tackling dangerous goods. Legal duties should be imposed on them to ensure they are legally forced to take reasonable steps to ensure what they host on their sites are safe. Without a total overhaul of our product safety laws shopping online in the UK will remain a dangerous business for consumers.
"We are warning shoppers that just because something is sold as ‘outdoor safe’ this does not guarantee the product meets the necessary safety standards to be used outside safely. We urge people to be cautious and to stick to reputable high street retailers where you can shop with more confidence that the product you’re buying is safe.”
Right of replies:
A Wish spokesperson said: "All of the merchants on our platform are required to adhere to local laws and safety standards wherever their goods are sold. We have a number of proactive and reactive mechanisms designed to prevent, detect and remove listings that violate any local laws or safety standards. In the rare instances where products fall foul of our policies, we act quickly to remove those products and take any necessary action. It’s clear that the products identified do not comply with those standards, so we acted quickly to remove them. The listing merchants have also been contacted to remind them of the importance of complying with product safety rules.”
A Temu spokesperson said: “Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention.
“The product listing was already removed on July 9 during our routine checks, before we received your email. This is part of our ongoing effort to ensure that all products on our platform comply with safety standards. We require proper documentation, conduct spot checks, and continuously monitor our platform to address any issues promptly, ensuring consumers can shop with confidence.”
“At Temu, we are committed to adhering to all relevant laws and regulations in our markets. Since entering the European market over a year ago, we have valued feedback from customers, regulators, and consumer groups. We continuously monitor regulatory developments and work closely with our sellers to ensure compliance with local requirements.”
Attributed to AliExpress:
"AliExpress takes product safety very seriously, and we have strict rules and policies in place to ensure a safe online shopping environment. Third-party sellers who list items for sale on our marketplace must comply with the law and with our platform rules and policies.
We have a proactive approach to scanning and removing non-compliant product listings on our platform. We continue to work closely with the OPSS and other regulators to prevent non-compliant product sales on our marketplaces.”
An eBay spokesperson said:
“The safety of our users is one of our top priorities. We take a proactive approach to keeping our marketplace safe, using block filter algorithms which aim to prevent unsafe products from being listed, and block millions of listings every year. If an unsafe item does make it onto site, we immediately remove it and alert buyers who have purchased the item, as we’ve done with the products flagged to us by Electrical Safety First.
“We also work closely with stakeholders and regulators to keep our platform safe, and when we receive a notification from OPSS we respond swiftly by removing listings. Our Regulatory Portal enables authorities from around the world to report listings, and unsafe items are automatically removed within two hours.”
An Amazon spokesperson said:
“Safety is a top priority at Amazon and we want customers to shop with confidence on our stores.
“We require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations and we monitor for product safety concerns.
“We have removed these products pending further investigation."
Background
- If customers have concerns about an item they’ve purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service team directly so we can investigate and take appropriate action.
- When appropriate, we remove products from the store, reach out to sellers, manufacturers, and government agencies for additional information, or take other actions to protect customers. We also partner with law enforcement and respond quickly to regulators, as part of our commitment to a safe and compliant store.