Latest news with #Sirim
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Make safety checks and certification for power banks mandatory now
Wake-up call: There have been a number of incidents involving power banks, including fires on public transport and explosions during charging. — Pexels THE Alliance for a Safe Community urges the government to immediately introduce mandatory safety checks and Sirim certification for all power banks sold in Malaysia. At present, power banks are not subject to compulsory safety testing, nor are they required to carry the Sirim certification mark. This regulatory gap exposes consumers to serious risks, including fire hazards, battery explosions, overheating, and electric shock – particularly when using low-quality or counterfeit devices that do not meet safety standards.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
New battery regulations ready by mid-2026
KUALA LUMPUR: New safety regulations covering secondary batteries, including those commonly used in power banks, are expected to be gazetted and enforced by mid-2026. The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) deputy minister, Fuziah Salleh, said a draft regulation on safety standards for rechargeable (secondary) batteries had been developed following a series of engagement sessions with industry players and consumer groups since mid-2024. "Since mid-2024, the ministry has conducted engagement sessions with key stakeholders, particularly industry players and consumer non-governmental organisations (NGOs). "Based on the feedback received, the ministry has developed an initial draft regulation concerning the safety of secondary batteries. We expect to gazette and enforce the regulation by mid-2026," she said. Fuziah said the regulation reflects the government's ongoing efforts to safeguard consumer rights. "This compliance is not only a continued commitment by the government to protect the rights and safety of consumers, but will also, indirectly, strengthen the national battery enforcement ecosystem," she told the New Straits Times. Fuziah added that the ministry had also introduced the Guidelines for Compliance with Secondary Battery Safety Standards on Feb 1, 2018. She said the seven-year voluntary implementation period had given the industry ample time to adapt. Primary batteries — those that cannot be recharged — have already been subject to mandatory safety standards since Sept 1, 2014, under the Consumer Protection (Safety Standards for Primary Batteries) Regulations. Fuziah said these regulations require manufacturers, suppliers and importers to carry out testing at accredited laboratories, recognised either by the Department of Standards Malaysia (JSM) or by internationally recognised accreditation bodies abroad. "All certified primary batteries must bear the Malaysian Conformity (MC) safety mark before entering the local market, facilitating enforcement and helping consumers verify the safety status of the product." Amid the circulation of a viral video reportedly showing a power bank explosion, Sirim revealed to the NST on May 25 that power banks sold in Malaysia are not currently subject to mandatory safety inspections. The government-owned industrial research and technology body said KPDN has yet to gazette power banks as products requiring Sirim certification.
![[UPDATED] RM1.63mil worth of drones declared as kitchen towels seized](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FBN052607690_1748343104.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
27-05-2025
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] RM1.63mil worth of drones declared as kitchen towels seized
PETALING JAYA: A shipment declared as kitchen towels that arrived at North Port, Port Klang last month was found to contain 20 agricultural drones instead. The drones, with an estimated value of RM1.63 million, were shipped from a neighbouring country. Customs Department assistant director-general Raizam Setapa @ Mustapha said the container was detected at 5.15pm on April 23. "Our officers, in collaboration with representatives from the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim), scanned the container and discovered 20 drones inside, instead of kitchen towels," she told reporters today. "I would like to emphasise that the importation of electronic goods such as drones requires a Certificate of Approval (CoA) from Sirim before they can be legally brought into Malaysia." Raizam said the drones were believed to have been imported from an Asian country for the local market, specifically for agricultural purposes. "This marks the first case of its kind involving the seizure of large-scale drones," she said. "We have recorded statements from several individuals, including the forwarding agent and the importer." In a separate case, Raizam said 21,351 litres of illicit alcoholic beverages, valued at RM2.81 million, were seized at North Port, Port Klang on May 7. The shipment was declared as furniture in an attempt to evade detection. "We believe the consignment, which originated from a neighbouring country, was intended for distribution within the local market," she said.
New Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
RM1.63mil worth of drones declared as kitchen towels seized
PETALING JAYA: A shipment of kitchen towels that arrived at North Port, Port Klang last month turned out to be 20 drones intended for agricultural use. The drones, estimated to be worth RM1.63 million in total, were shipped from a neighbouring country. Customs Department Assistant Director General Raizam Setapa @ Mustapha said the container was detected around 5.15pm on April 23. "Our personnel conducted a scan of the shipping container with representatives from the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim) and found 20 drones instead of kitchen towels inside. "I would like to stress that the importation of electronic goods such as drones requires a Certificate of Approval (COA) from Sirim before the items can be brought into Malaysia," she told reporters today.
New Straits Times
26-05-2025
- New Straits Times
NST Leader: The many dangers of uncertified power banks
ALMOST everyone is walking around with a portable power bank in their bag or pocket. And yet Sirim certification is not mandatory. Why? Sirim says the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has yet to gazette power banks as products requiring the government-owned industrial research and technology body's certification. Ask the ministry, as the New Sunday Times did, and a spokesperson put it thus: "Our role is limited to handling consumer complaints, such as if a buyer is deceived or receives a defective product." And so we end up in a grey area. But perhaps we need to point out that in 2017, the ministry did announce plans for a Sirim certification for all power banks. The move was almost a certainty that the media, especially the technology news portals, began welcoming the move. Because they know defective power banks can be fatally dangerous. But no answer is forthcoming as to why the plan was never realised. That begs a question: if the ministry could do it then, why not now? What exactly is holding up mandatory Sirim certification for power banks? Those who care for consumer safety continue to warn the authorities that so long as there is no clear regulation, unsafe products such as power banks will continue to be sold. China, where most of the power banks come from, is doing a better job. Starting August last year, it banned uncertified power banks and batteries from leaving the factories, or being sold or exported. Consumers associations have been urging the government for the longest time to make such certifications mandatory. There have been far too many cases of power banks catching fire, even exploding. One such tragic incident led to the death of a 19-year-old on May 26, 2017. Understandably, consumers do not know which power banks are safe and which are not because the components that cause overheating are not visible to them. Even if they were, consumers won't be able to tell a defective device from one that isn't. Sirim's certification can help them do so. As electrical engineer Associate Professor Dr Mohamad Fahmi Hussin told the New Sunday Times, low-quality power banks pose serious risk to users as they are more prone to overheating. Because they are cheap — some are sold for RM30 — they don't have a battery management system, which is crucial for preventing overheating, overcharging and short circuits. Fahmi put it thus: "Without a battery management system, lithium-ion cells can enter thermal runaway — an uncontrolled, self-heating process that can lead to fires and explosions." If this isn't enough, some manufacturers, he warned, use recycled or second-hand cells salvaged from discarded laptops or e-bikes, leading to deterioration overtime. Obviously, none of this degradation is visible to the users. There is only one way out of this mess: the government must make Sirim certification mandatory for all secondary battery products, including power banks. But it must not just stop there. A robust enforcement must follow. Crackdown on the sale of uncertified power banks mustn't be an occasional operation; it must be persistent. In the meantime — we hope this isn't a very long "meantime" — our advice to consumers is this: stay away from uncertified power banks.
