OFFICIALS of the Bureau of Standards on Wednesday seized truckloads of faulty electrical appliances and other items as they cracked down on imported goods that are beneath the accepted standards.
Sources at the bureau told Newsday 8,283 items were seized from one company at two locations in the first day of a three-day exercise.
The exercise saw an “all-of-government" approach in which the Bureau of Standards teamed up with the Electrical Inspectorate, Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA), the fire and police services and Customs and Excise.
The team visited a warehouse at Chanka Trace, San Juan and a retail outlet at Charlotte Street, Port of Spain simultaneously. There they inspected a variety of items which they found to be in contravention of the Standards Act 82:03.
[caption id="attachment_981725" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards , the police and fire service officers raided LF Trading store and warehouse on Charlotte Street in Port of Spain. Photo by Sureash Cholai[/caption]
Some of the items seized included extension cords, power strips, appliances, adapters, glue guns and lights.
The act gives the bureau the authority to order or remove any product advertised for sale that it deems unworthy according to its threshold. Failure to do so can land the business owner with a fine from $500-$1,000 or imprisonment for six months.
The bureau can seize items that are below its standards, after testing.
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