ACCC Urges Early Battery Compliance

Target compliance "as soon as possible," the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said June 1 about the mandates for button and coin cell batteries going into effect in a year. That suggestion came in a fact sheet (bit.ly/2SJnpLa) that also gave these transition period tips:

• Use the time until the June 22, 2022, effective date to focus on any necessary design changes or testing needs.

 

• Continue to apply the 2016 code of practices on packaging, compartments, and point-of-sale info (PSL, 9/26/16).

 

• Selling existing stock is permitted.

While the fact sheet, of course, gives an overview of the mandates related to issues like warnings, product compartments, packaging, and exemptions, it additionally explains that children typically access batteries via:

• Unsecured battery compartments.
• Packaging that is not child resistant.
• Products that release batteries when dropped or broken.
• Spare batteries that are provided loose with products.
• Spare batteries stored incorrectly.
• Spent batteries disposed of incorrectly.

Meanwhile, the agency also issued a more in-depth guidance (bit.ly/3i79yc6) that delves into the four mandatory standards finalized at the end of 2020 (PSL, 1/4/21). Two cover safety and two cover warnings. Links to all four, plus other ACCC battery resources, are at bit.ly/2SJnpLa.