Post by Willow on Jun 27, 2014 15:32:36 GMT 9.5
AUTHORITIES have issued a warning about cheap, noncompliant USB-style chargers after a woman died from apparent electrocution while using a laptop and possibly a smart phone.
The 28-year-old was found wearing headphones and with her computer in her lap with burns on her chest and ears at a home in Gosford in April.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of the death but the Department of Fair Trading, which has assisted with the case, suggested a substandard mobile phone charger could be to blame.
The Daily Telegraph reported the victim, Sheryl Anne Aldeguer, was a nurse who was from the Philippines but had recently become an Australian citizen.
She had headphones plugged into her laptop, which was connected to a power socket to charge.
“The phone was also plugged into a USB-style charger. That charger had failed,’’ Lynelle Collins from the Department of Fair Trading told AFP.
“Somehow power from that charger has connected to her body. Whether she had it (the phone) to her ear or was holding it in her hand, we don’t know.’’
Ms Collins said ideally people should avoid using their mobile phones while the devices were charging, but in any case they should avoid non-approved chargers.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said there was a “real and present danger” with electrical items that are not approved to Australian standards.
“We’ve been trying to hammer that message for some time, but I suppose this is a bit of a wake-up call,” Mr Stowe told AAP. He warned people not to be tempted by cheap, replica products. “These devices pose a serious risk of electrocution or fire,” he said.
“With electrical items, you don’t get much of a second chance.”
Fair Trading NSW says a number of unapproved and noncompliant USB style chargers, travel adaptors and power boards had been removed from a shop in Campsie, in Sydney’s west.
The Campsie trader faces fines of up to $87,500 and two years’ imprisonment, meanwhile a corporation can be fined up to $875,000. Consumers who have already bought unapproved and noncompliant USB-style chargers, used to charge phones and tablets, are advised to bend the pins on the chargers and throw them away immediately. Anyone with information about unapproved and noncompliant electrical or gas products should contact Fair Trading on 13 32 20.
The 28-year-old was found wearing headphones and with her computer in her lap with burns on her chest and ears at a home in Gosford in April.
Police are still investigating the circumstances of the death but the Department of Fair Trading, which has assisted with the case, suggested a substandard mobile phone charger could be to blame.
The Daily Telegraph reported the victim, Sheryl Anne Aldeguer, was a nurse who was from the Philippines but had recently become an Australian citizen.
She had headphones plugged into her laptop, which was connected to a power socket to charge.
“The phone was also plugged into a USB-style charger. That charger had failed,’’ Lynelle Collins from the Department of Fair Trading told AFP.
“Somehow power from that charger has connected to her body. Whether she had it (the phone) to her ear or was holding it in her hand, we don’t know.’’
Ms Collins said ideally people should avoid using their mobile phones while the devices were charging, but in any case they should avoid non-approved chargers.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said there was a “real and present danger” with electrical items that are not approved to Australian standards.
“We’ve been trying to hammer that message for some time, but I suppose this is a bit of a wake-up call,” Mr Stowe told AAP. He warned people not to be tempted by cheap, replica products. “These devices pose a serious risk of electrocution or fire,” he said.
“With electrical items, you don’t get much of a second chance.”
Fair Trading NSW says a number of unapproved and noncompliant USB style chargers, travel adaptors and power boards had been removed from a shop in Campsie, in Sydney’s west.
The Campsie trader faces fines of up to $87,500 and two years’ imprisonment, meanwhile a corporation can be fined up to $875,000. Consumers who have already bought unapproved and noncompliant USB-style chargers, used to charge phones and tablets, are advised to bend the pins on the chargers and throw them away immediately. Anyone with information about unapproved and noncompliant electrical or gas products should contact Fair Trading on 13 32 20.