SINGAPORE - The steamboat pot you use for the upcoming Chinese New Year reunion dinner should carry a safety mark.
Spring Singapore, the regulatory body for consumer product safety and weights and measures, will be stepping up spot checks on household products and weighing instruments this year, particularly over the festive season.
On Wednesday (Jan 13), officers conducted checks on weighing instruments at Giant hypermarket and household products at furniture store Courts. Both stores were in Tampines.
Electrical and gas appliances as well as electronic products here which fall under 45 categories of controlled goods must be affixed with a safety mark. These include microwave ovens, kettles and adaptors.
Measuring instruments used by retailers must also each have a visible accuracy label.
Last year, Spring checked 832 retailers and suppliers, and 8,142 measuring instruments. Arising from this, 46 fines were imposed on retailers who flouted the rules. This was more than the 26 fines issued in 2014.
Mr Jack Teng, Spring's director of consumer protection, weights and measures, said the increase was due to targeted spot checks on new products in the market such as electric scooters.
To build consumer trust in products and services here, Spring aims to increase the number of spot checks this year to 1,200 retailers and suppliers, and 12,000 instruments.
Selling controlled goods without the safety mark is an offence. The maximum penalty for infringement is a $10,000 fine and two years in jail. Those using weighing and measuring instruments without the accuracy label for trade can be fined up to $2,000.
