Recently, concerns have been raised about powerbanks and the shocking consequences one could face if these secondary battery banks had a short circuit. Needless to say, safety is a big issue so the government is stepping up efforts to regulate powerbanks by requiring that each powerbank sold in Malaysia undergo SIRIM certification first.
In a report published by Berita Harian, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives, and Consumerism minister Dato’ Seri Hamzah Zainudin said that next year, all manufacturers and distributors of powerbanks in Malaysia will be required to obtain SIRIM approval before they will be allowed to sell their goods.
He said that manufacturers and distributors would need to bring a sample of the products that they wish to sell in Malaysia to the Department of Standards Malaysia and SIRIM for testing. This is to ensure that the specifications of the products do not stray from the standards that have been set.
Once they have obtained SIRIM approval, they will then need to apply for an approval letter from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) for the sale of their products. These approved powerbanks will have an official stamp or logo imprinted on them so that consumers will be able to differentiate the approved ones from those that aren’t.
Hamzah Zainudin said that KPDNKK has already established a special committee to come up with a set of regulatory guidelines to ensure the quality and safety of the products. He also says that this committee is in the midst of finalising the official guidelines and they will be gazetted next year.
As a consumer. this sounds like pretty good news because there’s now an easy way to differentiate the quality powerbanks for those that aren’t. Phones have had to undergo SIRIM certifications already so it was really a matter of time before powerbanks had to be regulated too.
After all, we really don’t want to have another case of electrocution by powerbank on our hands. Despite the fact that powerbanks push a much lower current than your wall plug, a short circuit could produce currents in excess of 100 amperes.
Thanks @KevinNgTK for the tip!
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