Burned out Samsung washing machine.

By Emily Bencic

Consumer group Choice is warning the Federal Government not to relax the mandatory reporting requirements for businesses whose products kill or injure someone as it risks further compromising a product safety system that is already failing consumers.

The warning follows a push by retailers for the mandatory reporting period to be relaxed from 48 hours to four days in submissions to the Australian Consumer Law review. The current legislation requires businesses to make a timely report after being notified their product has caused a death or serious injury.

“It’s ridiculous to suggest the timeframe for mandatory reporting should be relaxed and symptomatic of a culture within industry that all too often puts profit and brand management ahead of consumer safety,” Choice head of media Tom Godfrey said.

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This story first appeared in Appliance Retailer.