Hong Kong Customs today (November 27) alerted members of the public to potential strangulation hazards posed by the cords of eight models of children's jackets (Annex).
Customs officers earlier conducted a spot check operation and test-bought children's jackets for safety testing. An examination by the Government Laboratory revealed that eight models of children's jackets violated the requirements of the relevant standard as the cords near the neck part of the jackets were found to pose a risk of strangulation.
Customs seized a total of 11 suspected unsafe children's jackets from four children's clothing retailers from November 7 to today. Prohibition notices were also served on the retailers concerned, prohibiting the continued sale of the children's jackets.
To avoid accidents, Customs reminds parents to watch out for potential hazards when selecting clothing for their children.
Customs is committed to the protection of consumer interests and regularly conducts spot checks and safety tests on consumer goods to ensure that they are reasonably safe for use by consumers.
Under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, it is an offence to supply, manufacture or import consumer goods unless the goods comply with the general safety requirements for consumer goods. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on first conviction, and $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on subsequent convictions.
Members of the public with information relating to unsafe consumer goods may report them via Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, November 27, 2019