Market surveillance of rotary lawn mowers

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Market surveillance of rotary lawn mowers

• Food And Consumer Product Safety Authority
• The Netherlands

2
Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit (VWA)(FOOD AND
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY AUTHORITY)

• Responsible Ministry Agriculture, Nature and
  Food Quality
• Market surveillance in the areas
• Livestock and meat
• Food, food hygiene, tobacco and alcoholic
  beverages
• Consumer Product safety

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Consumer Product Safety in the VWA

• Low Voltage Directive
• Machine Directive
• Gas Appliances Directive
• Toys
• fairground and playground equipment
• Biocides
• Cosmetics
• Dangerous preparations

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Market surveillance of Machines

• Labor Inspectorate
• Machines for professional use
• Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority
• Machines sold to consumers
• Hand held tools (do it yourself equipment)
• Gardening equipment
• Appliances

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Approach to market surveillance

• Primary aim reduction of risks from consumer
  products
• Projects covering specific product
  categoriesselection of subjects guided by
• accident statistics
• statistics from previous investigations
• accidents consumer complaints
• direct observation by officers in the field
• regular surveillance
• direct observation by officers in the field
• follow-up of RAPEX and safeguard clauses
• follow up of consumer complaints

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Accident statistics

• work accidents accidents (not work related)
• Motor driven tools 5100 5200
• Scaffolds 1300 500
• Installation materials 470 1600
• Machines for construction 400 50
• Motor driven gardening equipment 200 860
• Several surveillance projects have been done on
  motor driven tools a.o. circular saws and mitre
  saws

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Accident statistics gardening tools

• accidents outside work environment
• Motor driven lawnmowers (not specified) 340
• Electric hedgetrimmers 210
• Rotary mowers 60
• High pressure sprayers 40

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Injuries from lawn mowers

• Cuts through contact with sharp parts 66
• - Leading to amputation 7
• Injuries by ejected objects 17
• Burns
• The market surveillance project aimed to check
  predominantly those requirements in the standard
  that protect against the occurrence of these
  injuries.

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Lawnmowers market study

• Market penetration of lawnmowers 20.9 of
  families in the Netherlands own a motor driven
  lawnmower.
• On average 50 hours of use per year.
• Two types combustion engine powered and
  electrically powered
• Ratio between these is approximately 50/50
• Approximately 30 brands available (18 brands
  offering electric 20 combustion engined mowers)

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Sampling

• hand guided rotary lawn mowers, either with or
  without traction
• obtainable via consumer retail channels
• at most one electrically powered and one
  combustion engine powered mower per brand
• ratio of combustion engine / electric mowers
  50/50
• lower market segment
• preferably less known brands
• as many brands as possible
• Only hard knives (no nylon or metal wire or
  strip mowers)
• Selection of those mowers where the inspector
  suspected non compliance

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Standards and selected requirements
Electrically powered mowers (EN 60335-2-77) Combustion engine mowers (EN 836)
Directions for use 7.12 5.1.1
Language (Dutch required) 7.13
Contents 7.12 5.1.2
Moving parts can be touched 20.2 4.1.1
Dimensioning of enclosure of knives (a.o. protection against knives and ejected objects) 20.103.1.1 4.2.1.1.1
Dimensioning of discharge chute (no gaps that allow ejected objects to go in a straight line from the machine) 20.103.1.3 4.2.1.1.3
Protection guard when operated without the grass catcher (closing when detached?) 20.103.1.4 4.2.1.2
Knives brake time 20.103.2.2. 4.2.1.3.2.3
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Results

• Investigated 28 rotary lawn mowers
• Shortcomings combustion electric
• Labelling (directions for use, required
  warnings) 6 11
• moving parts can be touched (4.1.1 20.2) 2
  3
• Cutting knives enclosure (20.103.1.1)
  4
• Ejection chute dimensions (4.2.1.3
  20.103.1.3) 3
• Closing of guard without grass catcher (4.2.1.2
  20.103.1.4) 2 1
• Brake time of rotary knives (4.2.1.3.2.3
  20.103.2.2) 1

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Sanctions

• Proportional with the seriousness of the
  shortcomings found
• 8 companies fines (750 3500 euro)
• 7 companies formal warnings
• Two companies objected against the measures
  taken, both based on the argument that their
  lawnmowers complied with the standard. For these
  measures article 7 safeguard clauses were
  notified to the Commission.

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Example of contested measure

• The protection shield did not close completely
  when operated without the grass catcher.
• EN 836 - 4.2.1.2
• Hazards ejected objects risk of cutting
  injuries. ER 1.3.3 and 1.3.7
• Objections against this finding
• - This should be tested with the motor not
  running
• - When running stationary, the gap is too small
  to present the hazards indicated above