ESC reports: conclusions and findings after the Health and Beauty Products test

This is the continuation of the article entitled, ESC reports: health and beauty products put to the test; most are unsafe to use! and it points out some of the conclusions and findings after the Health and Beauty products were tested by the Electrical Safety Council. Not to scare you or anything, but it is better to double check when purchasing such products, if you want to be safe! Make sure you're safe and electrical hazards free when using the seemingly harmless  health or beauty electrical products!

Conclusions and Findings after the Health and Beauty Products ESC Test

• The number of significant failures and observations to the product standard suggests that standards written to support the UK Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations are either not understood or not properly followed.
• The internal construction issues are a concern particularly where they affect the electrical insulation and protection against electric shock. While some of the construction problems were recorded as observations, they might develop into significant safety hazards over time.
• It was disappointing to find that information for vulnerable users and in particular the possible use by children was missing from the instructions in the majority of cases. These products may be used by young children who are unsupervised, and particularly when some samples have attributes that appeal to children. We would advise parents to consider the potential hazards associated with child appealing products when deciding to buy.
• Hot surfaces are expected for hair care products, but the high temperatures of areas held by the user and the possibility of inadvertent contact with working surfaces is a concern. We would recommend in particular that hair straighteners are placed on, and stored in, heat-proof covers and that supply cords are not wrapped around hotplates until they have cooled down.

As with all our safety investigations, we will liaise with the retailers and manufacturers concerned and keep the authorities informed of our actions. If necessary, an update will be published in a future edition of the Switched On magazine.

A copy of the full laboratory test reports can be viewed on the Council’s website: www.esc.org.uk. This article was taken with permission, as part of the full article and test that ESC recently published in their Switched On Issue 21 for summer 2011. You can read the full article with the details of the tests and the problems encountered via www.esc.org.uk. Read the first part of this report via, Health and Beauty Products put to test by ESC.