Panda Mart facing charges after allegedly selling unsafe electrical products
Budget retailer Panda Mart is facing 130 charges for electrical safety offences after allegedly stocking dozens of dangerous lamp models and other household electrical goods in March last year that posed an electrocution risk.
Energy Safe Victoria charged the company after it allegedly supplied electrical products that did not comply with mandatory safety requirements.
This includes many items not marked with the required Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) that indicates a product is up to Australian standards.
READ MORE: Sydney braces for wettest summer weekend so far as super storm moves north
More than 50 models of desks and table lamps were later seized with suspected safety hazards. Supplied
Energy Safe Victoria also alleged that when the products were being sold, Panda Mart was not a registered "Responsible Supplier" on the national Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS) as required.
The investigation began after the regulator received information from another regulator in New Zealand related to possible non-compliant products being sold by the retailer.
In March last year, Energy Safe enforcement officers and equipment safety compliance engineers inspected the retailer's Cranbourne store and Dandenong warehouse.
More than 50 models of desks and table lamps were later seized with suspected safety hazards, including some with inadequate insulation and exposed live parts, which could potentially cause an electric shock if touched.
A voluntary recall was conducted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of the lamps shortly after.
READ MORE: 'No idea what's left': Holidaymakers left in limbo as Wye River flood clean-up begins
Budget retailer Panda Mart is facing 130 charges for electrical safety offences. Energy Safe Victoria
A prohibition notice was issued to the budget retailer in July last year, barring it from supplying portable lamps in Victoria unless the regulator confirms the products meet relevant standards.
Customers who purchased the table lamps from Panda Mart were urged to return them to the retailer immediately.
In Victoria, it is illegal to supply appliances that do not meet safety standards, carrying a maximum penalty of almost $50,000.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
