Today is National Pet Day and I’d thought I’d mark the occasion by discussing sky lanterns and the risks associated with them whether it be to our furry friends or to us more human consumers.
We’ve all heard the rhetoric that surrounds these things – enshrined in mysticism and considered to signify the passing of problems whilst watching them float away into the nights sky.
However, the reality of these flying objects that are in effect a small fire suspended on a base frame containing an ignition source consisting of anything from wire, plastic, bamboo, paper or in some reported cases asbestos.
Likened maybe to a hand grenade that has the capacity to wreak havoc once its disappeared from sight. Judging by the rather gloomy skies currently in Manchester you don’t even get to see them for too long!.
In the words of the famous mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton and as he decoded gravity with an apple “what goes up, must come down” and it’s the latter part of the journey that has caused some seriously bad outcomes.
Animals have been known to ingest them, get entangled and trapped by them, get splinters embedded within them and even as in the case of a zoo in Germany – die as a result of them due to a fire outbreak.
British coastguards have reported that the craze for releasing especially red or orange lanterns has led to people dialling 999 mistaking them for rescue flares. Throw into the mix the disruption they have caused to aircraft, crops and the environment in general and these lanterns have managed to create havoc.
Regrettably these issues have been around for 15 + years, I raised these very same issues as a member of the National Product Safety Panel whilst still working in Trading Standards.
In ancient China, lanterns were used strategically in war to transmit messages, act as a surveillance tool or signal the start of a siege!
You don’t have to look too far to buy them as they can be found easily on the internet including online marketplaces which can deliver to our door within 24 hours. Available in all different shapes and sizes, there is a varying degree of quality on offer.
The bottom line is however that any product on sale must be safe so design, packaging, safety warnings and instructions are all important
If you are a manufacturer, importer, retailer or supplier of these types of products, you have a responsibility to ensure their safety.
I can help you design a risk assessment for any new or established product range whether it be sky lanterns, furniture, toys, cosmetics or anything indeed else.
