Hong Kong Customs today (August 31) alerted members of the public to the potential overheating and thermal burn injury posed by one model of an external power bank with wireless charging function (power bank) and advised them to stop using the product.
In an operation and a search against a retailer conducted earlier, Customs officers obtained 220 pieces of the subject model of power bank. Safety test results revealed that the tested power banks failed the thermal burn injury test when using the wireless charging function. If a metal foreign object was placed between the power bank and the device being charged, the temperature of the foreign object could reach from 86.6 to 131.4 degrees Celsius, exceeding the permissible limit of 85 degrees C. Overheating was also observed in the power bank. Therefore, the product did not comply with the relevant international product safety standards, and is suspected to be in contravention of the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance (CGSO).
A prohibition notice was served to the subject retailer, prohibiting the sale of the suspected unsafe power bank concerned.
Furthermore, Customs officers have conducted spot checks and inspections in various districts and have not found any sale of the power bank concerned so far. The investigation is ongoing.
Customs reminds members of the public to adhere to following safety tips when purchasing and using power banks:
Customs is committed to the protection of consumer interests and regularly conducts spot checks and safety tests on consumer goods to ensure that they are reasonably safe for use by consumers.
Customs also reminds traders to comply with the statutory requirements of the CGSO to protect the safety of consumers. 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. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on first conviction, and $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on subsequent conviction.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the CGSO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
