With just a month from Christmas, consumers are already taking advantage of the deals being rolled out by businesses. For some households, this holiday season is a time to do renovations and replace defective and worn furniture and electrical appliances with new and updated ones. These shopping ventures are generally expensive, and to ensure consumers receive value for money in the long term, it is important for them to purchase quality products that meet their needs.
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) monitors the quality of seventeen (17) categories of products including household electrical appliances and furniture imported and manufactured locally, to ensure that they comply with labelling and quality requirements outlined in National Standards.
Throughout the year, GNBS Inspectors carried out a total of 8,263 inspections at the ports of entry, sales outlets and at warehouses for importers, dealers and manufacturers. Of this total, 762 were furniture inspections and 1680 were electrical appliances inspections.
When considering the purchase of electrical appliances, whether it’s the gleaming new refrigerator for your holiday cold storage needs or the latest entertainment gadgets, it is important that you pay attention to the labels. Labels of electrical appliances offer guidance for use in relations to voltage, wattage and more. During the season, Inspectors of the GNBS will intensify product examination at sale outlets to ensure electric stoves and cookers, televisions, mini music systems, blenders and food processors, toasters, microwaves, fans and other items meet requirements. The goal is to ascertain compliance with National Standards, ensuring these appliances not only meet safety criteria but also provide optimal performance.
Furthermore, appliances that pass the stringent quality tests bear Certification Marks such as UL, CE, CSA, NOM which indicate that they were tested and are of acceptable quality. Consumers are urged to also check for these certification marks.
As the season inspires a desire for home upgrades, GNBS will continue to actively monitor furniture to ensure they are appropriately labelled and durably built for use. The Code of Practice for the manufacture of furniture outlines requirements for the materials, construction, workmanship and finish employed in the manufacture of furniture such as upholstered, built-in and crafted furniture. Consumers investing in furniture for the holiday or refreshing their living spaces ought to empower themselves with information to select and purchase quality pieces.
Meanwhile, the labelling standard for furniture GYS 9-5:2003 offers specific requirements to manufacturers and guidance to users. It states that furniture should be labelled with a common name or type of item; mark/code to distinguish the manufacturer and the country of origin (for imported furniture). Labelling must also include information on the predominant material from which the item is made (wood, metal or plastic), the type of finish (lacquer, varnish, paint) and precautionary note for care to ensure that the items last longer.
As you embark on your holiday shopping journey, consider the added gift of confidence that comes with the purchase of quality products. With over 500 businesses registered for this year to import and sell products monitored by the GNBS, inspectors will continue to be vigilant in its monitoring during the busy shopping season to protect consumers.
Finally, it is imperative that consumers begin to recognise the relevance of standards and the role GNBS plays in ensuring that they get product information and the quality they deserve, as shopping increases during the remainder of the year. Look out for more shopping tips from the GNBS which will help you to select safe and reliable products this holiday season.
For further information on this subject, please contact the GNBS on Telephone Numbers: 219-0064- 66, WhatsApp 692-GNBS (4627) or follow us on Facebook #GNBSGY
