- Halloween items bought online can lack quality and safety
- Button batteries, flammable clothing, and skin allergies are of concern
- Tips to stay safe and prevent Halloween nightmares
As Halloween approaches, families who embrace the tradition are being reminded to prioritise safety when shopping online and in-store.
To demonstrate the potential risks, Consumer Protection ordered a parcel of Halloween-related merchandise from a large popular online retailer.
Findings from a preliminary assessment suggested several of the items received likely breached Australia's strict product safety laws.
Potential issues included glow in the dark rings, finger lights, and LED lights without secure button battery compartments or internationally recognised safety symbols; make-up, fake blood, and face stickers without mandatory ingredient labelling; and children's nightwear missing the required flammable safety warnings.
Further assessment of the potentially non-compliant items will now be undertaken to reach a formal determination, with possible action to follow.
Consumer Protection also carries out seasonal product safety inspections in physical stores across Perth and regional WA.
Ahead of Halloween last year, the inspections found 94 related products powered by button batteries, of which 28 were wrongly labelled or failed to display the correct warnings to consumers.
A further 28 cosmetic products were inspected, of which one was found to breach mandatory labelling laws by failing to list the ingredients on its packaging.
When buying button battery operated products, the Cook Government urges parents to look for products where the compartment can't be opened without a tool.
For more information on how to keep your family safe, visit Product Safety Australia.
As stated by Commerce Minister Sue Ellery:
"When shopping online, consumers should expect goods to be safe and compliant with mandatory safety standards, bans andrecalls. However, this is not always the case.
"While we cannot actively regulate the safety of every product arriving on our shores, we can help educate consumers on detecting unsafe items this Halloween.
"Make sure novelty tattoos, face paint, makeup or fake blood comes with ingredient labels in case they cause irritations, reactions or infections.
"If someone in your group has an allergic reaction to a product, having a list of ingredients available for doctors can save them vital time when determining how to treat them.
"Costumes are a key part of Halloween celebrations, but it is important to ensure they are highly visible if wearing them outside and to take extreme care around open heat sources such as jack-o-lanterns and heaters.
"Check costume labels for fire risk and choose those marked 'flame resistant' or 'fire resistant'.
"If wearing black or other dark-coloured costumes, add glow sticks or a reflective strip and carry a torch to ensure drivers and other trick-or-treaters can see you.
"I encourage all trick-or-treaters to familiarise themselves with our Halloween safety tips for a spooky yet safe experience."
