16.7.4 When purchases go wrong You may occasionally hear about a car model being recalled to ýx a problem. You might also hear about people getting sick from food at a restaurant. We want every purchase to be safe, but that doesn’t always happen. It’s important to protect consumers and make sure the products we buy are safe. 16.7.5 Who keeps us safe? Many groups help make sure the goods and services we buy are safe. These include government regulators and organisations like Choice. Their roles are explained in the next sections.
Government regulators Governments at federal, state, territory and local level have established a number of bodies to ensure product safety. • The ACCC includes product safety among its various roles. • State and territory Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading authorities have a major role within their respective states. • Customs and quarantine checks watch goods from overseas to ýnd any dangerous products. • Some organisations focus on speciýc products. For example, the Therapeutic Goods Administration makes sure medicines and devices, like wheelchairs, are safe. • Local health authorities check restaurants, cafés and school canteens to ensure they are clean and safe.
FIGURE8 Customs ofýcers check containers of goods from overseas to prevent dangerous goods from entering the Australian market.
Other groups Many organisations in the community share the responsibility for keeping products safe. • Businesses: Manufacturers and sellers must make sure their products are safe. If a product harms someone, they can be sued. To avoid this, businesses should carefully control how they make their products. • Technical bodies: Worldwide groups like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) create quality standards for products. If a product meets these standards, it can show an ISO number. This helps consumers know it is safe and of high quality. • Consumers: Buyers also have a responsibility for safety. Choice, which used to be the Australian Consumers’ Association, has a magazine and a website. They test products and share their ýndings. Consumers should also check the safety of items like electrical cords and use safety features in cars to keep themsafe.
FIGURE9 If a product has ISO certiýcation, it means it is safe and of high quality.
576 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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