SABS warns public of fake hand sanitisers

BUSINESSES could be in danger of being sued if the hand sanitisers they use are substandard and result in customers contracting the coronavirus.

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) warned of fraudulently manufactured sanitisers that bear its mark of approval without having gone through the necessary testing.

Covid-19 lockdown regulations stipulate that retailers and other businesses have to provide hand sanitisers for customers to use as they enter their premises. But the rapid spread of the pandemic meant that shops have had little time to source hand sanitisers. And already there have been complaints of substandard products, with some consumers complaining that they have developed rashes after exposure to hand sanitisers dispensed at store entrances.

But the onus might be on consumers to be aware of any allergic reactions or skin irritations caused by the use of hand sanitisers.

Legal experts warned that not taking all the necessary due diligence in acquiring good quality products could open retailers up to new liability risks.

“Retailers could potentially face a new surge of class actions and personal injury claims for negligence regarding the use of harmful products,” said Bonginkosi Ntuli, a claims specialist for professional indemnity and liability claims at SHA Specialist.

Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) food safety executive Matlou Setati said the burden was on consumers to find out what effect these hand sanitisers could have on their skin and make alternative arrangements accordingly.

“The retailers cannot take responsibility for any reactions that may result by the consumer being sprayed with sanitiser on entry.”

Pick n Pay said it would work with a small number of carefully selected, reputable companies to supply stores with hand sanitiser for customers and staff.

The Shoprite Group, which owns Checkers, Checkers Hyper, Shoprite and USave, said all the sanitisers it uses were in accordance with the recommendations of the Department of Health.

“Our outlets use alcohol based hand sanitisers containing at least 70% alcohol content, like Sterispray, for this purpose and depending on availability, we may revert to other formats of alcohol based hand sanitising products also available from our suppliers which could include gels or sprays.”

Woolworths said it purchases sanitisers from dedicated suppliers whose products have been checked against the appropriated Materials Safety Data Sheet.

Both Shoprite and Woolworths said they had received complaints about the hand sanitisers used at their stores but the majority of shoppers were happy.

The SABS raised concerns about the fraudulent use of their mark on hand sanitiser products.

“This means that some manufacturers are illegitimately applying the ‘SABS Approved’ logo on products,” SABS lead administrator Jodi Scholtz said.

“While we try to investigate all claims of fraudulent use of the SABS Mark Scheme, there are still some unscrupulous manufacturers that are using the SABS Mark without permission.”

Retailers could face a new surge of class actions

Bonginkosi Ntuli CLAIMS SPECIALIST