Warning over safety of cane umbrellas in Hong Kong
Consumer Council says 90 per cent of the cane umbrellas it tested failed at least one of the safety checks
Hongkongers using handy cane umbrellas to get about town were warned on Wednesday of a “worrying” litany of safety failures, which could mean they fall and hurt themselves while using one.
A Consumer Council study found that 90 per cent of cane umbrellas – umbrellas with a thick rubber tip, to double as a walking aid – did not meet all safety standards. It called on manufacturers to improve the products and asked consumers to choose safer walking sticks.
“The safety performance of an overwhelming majority of the cane umbrella samples is worrying,” Wong Kam-fai, chairman of the Trade Practices and Consumer Complaints Review Committee, said.
The warning came after the council tested 30 non-wooden walking sticks and 10 cane umbrellas, against the Taiwanese Standard and the International Standard. It tested the aids’ construction, load-bearing strength, bonding strength and how well their tips got purchase on the ground. The samples ranged in price from HK$30 to HK$1,080.
The council found over 55 per cent of the walking sticks and 90 per cent of the cane umbrellas failed at least one of the safety tests.
Only 13 walking sticks and one cane umbrella passed all of the tests, by getting four points or above on the five-point scale.