Before May long weekend, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) inspected grills available in stores and wholesalers. Every third inspected grill had serious defects, e.g. lack of appropriate warning pictograms or incomplete instructions and warnings. Tips regarding the safe usage of grills are below.
Do badań laboratoryjnych pobraliśmy 10 próbek produktów. 8 z nich negatywnie przeszło testy np. odkształciły się ich blachy podczas palenia lub straciły stabilność. Ponadto zakwestionowaliśmy konstrukcję 3 modeli grilli przez np. brak uchwytów przy ruszcie na żywność. pic.twitter.com/D2nZZrWnX7
— UOKiK (@UOKiKgovPL) April 29, 2022
There has been a significant increase in the number of contested products since 2017. Defects that cause a risk to users have been found in many grills. Among others, the design weaknesses consist of the fact that the furnaces of the grills are made of too thin sheet metal. There are also cases of too large gaps between the bars of the food grate. One of the tested grills by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) deforms after use and is unstable. That means, that it tips over when the lid hangs on the rim of the cooking area.
Check the advice regarding the proper usage and features of the safe construction of the grills below:
1. Features of a safe grill:
• edges and corners have no burrs, no rough surfaces, no sharp ends,
2. Reusable grills:
• the hand-applied food grates have handles (along the length
on the longest side up to 40 cm, one handle is enough),
• if the position of the food grate is adjustable, its adjustment is possible without direct contact of the operator’s hand with the grate,
• the spit (if any) has fixed or removable handles,
• if the furnace can work in several positions, it has locks securing it in each of these positions,
• if there are wheels to facilitate the movement of the grill, locks/brakes are preventing accidental movement during normal use,
3. Disposable grills:
• the grate is attached to the hearth in such a way that its removal makes the grill unusable,
• if the grill body is not made of non-combustible material, it is sold with an extinguishing agent.
Be sure to read the instructions for safe use in detail and keep them for future reference.