The Market Surveillance Directorate, within the Technical Regulations Division of the MCCAA, has withdrawn a number of swimming floats with canopies intended for babies from the market. Two examples of such floats can be seen in Figures 1 and 2 (attached).

These were found to pose a serious risk of drowning due to the following reasons:

• Having a flat base, implies a greater degree of instability and an increased chance of toppling over;
• Having a large surface area to volume ratio, increasing the chance of having the float together with the child being carried away by wind currents.

This has led to the directorate to take the necessary precautions in order to ensure the withdrawal of such products from the local market.

Consumers who bought the above-mentioned products should immediately refrain from using them and return them to the outlet from which they were purchased.

The directorate reminds manufacturers and importers to always place on the market products that are safe. In addition, anyone responsible for placing their products on the market shall ensure that they are in line with the applicable legislation.