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Australia: ACCC enforces convertible wheeled products under safety standard for strollers

MARCH 2019 - Relevant for: Toys and children's products

Effective 14 February 2019, Australia published an amendment¹ to the Consumer Product Safety Standard for Prams and Strollers - Consumer Protection Notice No. 8 of 2007². It clarifies the scope of strollers by adding the convertible wheeled products including convertible tricycle strollers.

The convertible wheeled products are defined as the wheeled vehicles that can operate in more than one mode, if one of those modes is designed to transport a child in a seated position.

Last year in August, the Australia Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a consumer warning³ about using convertible tricycles to transport children as they do not typically include important safety features required for strollers. The Commission urged⁴ industry to comply the stroller standard for convertible tricycles besides toy requirements, and consulted the necessity of standard changes.

Apart from policy making, the ACCC determined to remove unsafe convertible strollers from the market. In December 2018, two types of tricycles from a company were being recalled. Lately, two more companies have paid penalties for selling non-compliant convertible strollers. The ACCC pointed to the companies' promotional language which targeted use as strollers with babies and young children. Both companies have agreed to strengthen their compliance programs and stop selling the products.

[1] Consumer Goods (Prams and Strollers) Amendment Safety Standard 2019

[2] The Updated Consumer Product Safety Standard for Prams and Strollers - Consumer Protection Notice No. 8 of 2007

[3] ACCC Notice to Warn Carers to Avoid Using Convertible Tricycles to Transport Children, August 2018

[4] ACCC Letter to Industry, August 2018