Hong Kong Customs conducts spot checks on suspected unsafe tea-light candles (with photos)

Hong Kong Customs today (April 15) announced that it conducted spot checks on tea-light candles in the past three weeks and ordered seven retailers cum importers to store in specified places 562 packs of tea-light candles of eight models without bilingual warnings or cautions.

Customs earlier received a referral from a related organisation that suspected unsafe tea-light candles were being supplied in the market. Customs immediately conducted spot checks and test purchases in various districts. Testing on the samples of the tea-light candles confirmed that they complied with the relevant safety standard.

However, it was found that the tea-light candles were suspected to be in contravention of the Consumer Goods Safety Regulation (CGSR), a subsidiary legislation of the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance (CGSO), as they did not have attached the applicable bilingual warnings or cautions with respect to the safe keeping, use, consumption or disposal. Customs has ordered seven retailers cum importers to store in specified places 562 packs of tea-light candles of eight models without bilingual warnings or cautions.

Investigation is ongoing.

Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of CGSO with a view to protecting consumers' safety.

Under the CGSO, it is an offence to supply, manufacture or import into Hong Kong consumer goods unless the goods comply with the general safety requirements for consumer goods. Under the CGSR, where consumer goods or their packages are marked with any warning or caution with respect to their safe keeping, use, consumption or disposal, such a warning or caution shall be in both the English and the Chinese languages.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on first conviction, and a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on subsequent conviction.

Members of the public may report any suspected unsafe consumer goods to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).