A father says his three-year-old daughter is lucky to be alive after nearly being electrocuted by an extension cable.
Following Herald inquiries, the product has now been pulled from shelves at a major NZ retailer and an investigation has been launched by the manufacturer.
Tim Jenkins purchased the Australian-branded Arlec extension lead six months ago from a Bunnings Warehouse. He was later shocked to learn an earlier model had previously been recalled across the Tasman in 2010.
On Sunday morning, Jenkins walked into his three-year-old daughter’s room after she called out to him; “Daddy, can you fix the string?”
He says he was horrified to find her still holding an extension cable, which had fallen apart and completely exposed the internal metal connections.
“We could have been attending my daughter’s funeral . . . if she hadn’t pulled it out of the wall,” says Tim.
The plug of the extension cable had completely fallen apart and pieces were scattered over the preschooler’s bedroom floor. Photo: Tim Jenkins.
The plug had fallen apart and plug pieces were scattered over the preschooler’s bedroom floor, he says.
“None of our other plugs have suffered this fate and our toddler certainly doesn’t have superhuman strength . . . How on earth could a new plug fall apart so easily?”
Tim, a certified electrical worker and engineer, took to the internet after the incident and discovered an earlier model of the extension cable was recalled 14 years ago by manufacturer Arlec due to a faulty plug.
He says, in his view, there were three ways the product failed to comply with New Zealand electrical standards.
“Imagine, if our daughter, who is learning her colours and her numbers, saw the wires and touched the pretty blue one, and the brown one, or the shiny silver ones, naming them or counting them,” says Tim.
“This is potentially a death waiting to happen.”
Tim says to those questioning why his daughter was pulling a cable out of the wall; “That’s what toddlers do.”
Bunnings Warehouse confirmed a customer had reported an issue with an Arlec extension lead that was purchased six months ago.
“We take electrical safety incredibly seriously, and we were concerned to hear about the customer’s report and are thankful no one was harmed,” said director of merchandise Cam Rist.
“We’re working closely with our supplier Arlec to investigate the matter as a priority and Arlec is collecting the product for testing.
“This is the first report of this nature we’re aware of and we have had very few customer returns for this product, and at this stage, we do believe this is an isolated case.
“We require all of our suppliers to comply with relevant product standards and Arlec is in the process of re-verifying this.
“As we do with any electrical product, we’ve taken a precautionary approach and removed the product from sale in New Zealand until the investigation with the supplier is resolved.”
Arlec says in a statement they were investigating the incident.
“We take the safety of our products seriously and are concerned to hear about the customer’s experience.
“Since we became aware of the incident, we have been in contact with the customer and are undertaking a product investigation, which is still ongoing.
“We are committed to ensuring our products follow the correct certifications and standards in the markets we supply to. We can confirm the plug on the product is compliant with the regulatory compliance framework,” says Arlec.
“A voluntary recall of an earlier version of this product occurred in 2010 in Australia. The product has since been modified to a new design and was approved in 2011.”
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