Important message for retailers and suppliers

Jeff Rogut

ACCC: Button battery consumer safety – how you can be involved
The ACCC have launched a consumer education initiative to raise awareness of button battery safety within the Australian community.
In Australia, an estimated five children per week present to an emergency department with an injury related to a button battery. If a child swallows a button battery, the battery can get stuck in the child’s throat and burn through the oesophagus in as little as two hours. Repair can require feeding and breathing tubes and multiple surgeries. Your support in raising awareness of these risks with Australian parents and carers is greatly appreciated.
Below are options on how you can participate in The Battery Controlled campaign and how the ACCC can support you in your consumer education program.
Direct mail to customers
You may like to consider adding the button battery fact card as an insert in your next direct mail package to your customers – or even sending it as a stand-alone safety reminder. The ACCC can provide you with print-ready files of the fact card for you to organise your printing and distribution.
An example of the button battery fact card is available here: www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/993229
Direct email campaigns to customers
You may like to consider adding information about button battery safety to your next email campaign to your customers – or even sending button battery information as a stand-alone safety reminder.
You can use information on The Battery Controlled campaign page and the Product Safety Australia Button Battery alert page for content.
Advertising in your magazine or newsletter
You can place an ad in your own magazine or newsletter to raise awareness of the button battery risks. The ACCC can assist in designing the advert and/or can provide images and information for you to design your own content.
Feature article or editorial in your magazine or newsletter
You can publish safety information in your magazine or newsletter for your customers and encourage your customers to visit The Battery Controlled campaign site for more information.
The ACCC can provide safety pieces for publishing or you’re welcome to prepare your own. Use The Battery Controlled campaign page and the Product Safety Australia Button Battery alert page for content.
In-store fact card display
You can display the fact card in-store for your customers to pick-up at the point of purchase—and you can encourage your staff to provide one each time a customer purchases a button battery or a product known to contain button batteries, such as TV remotes or kitchen scales. The ACCC can provide the first 5,000 of the fact cards to you as well as print-ready files for you to organise your own printing for any subsequent cards.
In-store poster display
If your stores have an area for community announcements or you believe your store would benefit from a poster display on button battery safety, please contact the ACCC to organise this for your first round of distribution. The ACCC can provide the first 2,000 A3 button battery posters to you as well as print-ready files for you to organise your own printing for any subsequent cards.
An example of the button battery poster is available here: www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/993234
Participating in Summer’s Day
On 28 February, Kidsafe Queensland will be launching Summer’s Day – a day to remember all the children who have lost their lives as the result of preventable injury (e.g. ingesting a button battery) and to acknowledge those children still struggling with the consequences of preventable injuries. This has been established in honour of Summer Steer who died after ingesting a button battery.
Every year a different causal factor will be highlighted but this year the focus is on button battery safety.
If you would like to participate in Summer’s Day, please contact Kidsafe Queensland on (07) 3854 1829 or via email on qld@kidsafeqld.com.au.
Online and social media presence
There are various ways to engage your customers online about button battery safety:
– highlight safety information and The Battery Controlled campaign site on your website
– embed the button battery safety videos on your website:
o Hunter’s story – a boy who swallowed a lithium battery
o Button battery safety video
– provide safety information via your online channels as per The Battery Controlled website
– share the videos and safety advice via your social media channels
– ‘like’ and ‘follow’ Battery Controlled and ACCC Product Safety on Twitter and Facebook and share button battery safety information available through these channels
o Battery Controlled Facebook page & @BatteryControl on Twitter
o ACCC Product Safety Facebook page & @ACCCProdSafety on Twitter.
Please contact Chandni Gupta, Assistant Director (Communications & Engagement) on 03 9290 1409 or via email chandni.gupta@accc.gov.au to advise which initiative/s you will be implementing and what support you need from the ACCC.
AACS encourages all Members to get behind this important, and potentially lifesaving initiative.