Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2001B00369 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001

Statutory Rules 2001 No. 279 as amended

made under the

Trade Practices Act 1974

This compilation was prepared on 15 December 2009
taking into account amendments up to SLI 2009 No. 390

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing,
AttorneyGeneral’s Department, Canberra

Contents

 1 Name of Regulations [see Note 1]

 2 Commencement [see Note 1]

 3 Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 1999 — repeal             

 4 Purpose 

 5 Application 

 6 Standard until 12 December 2010 

 7 Standard from 13 December 2010 

Schedule 1 Australian/New Zealand Standards 

Part 1 AS/NZS 2063:1996 

Part 2 Variations to AS/NZS 2063:1996 

Part 3 AS/NZS 2063:2008 

Part 4 Variations to AS/NZS 2063:2008 

Schedule 2 Snell Standards 

Part 1 1995 Standard For Protective Headgear For Use In Bicycling             

Part 2 Compliance with the Snell Standard 

Notes   

 

 

 

1 Name of Regulations [see Note 1]

  These Regulations are the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001.

2 Commencement [see Note 1]

  These Regulations commence on gazettal.

3 Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 1999 — repeal

  Statutory Rules 1999 No. 230 is repealed.

4 Purpose

  For subsection 65C (2) of the Trade Practices Act 1974, these Regulations set out the consumer product safety standard for bicycle helmets.

5 Application

 (1) These Regulations apply to protective helmets for pedal cyclists.

 (2) However, these Regulations do not apply to the following helmets:

 (a) protective helmets of a size too small to be reasonably fitted to:

 (i) Headform AA defined in Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2512.1:1998, published by the Standards Association of Australia on 5 September 1998; or

 (ii) Headform AA defined in Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2512.1:2009, published by Standards Australia on 7 April 2009;

 (b) helmets for use as toys which cannot be reasonably mistaken for protective helmets for pedal cyclists;

 (c) helmets for use as toys which may be reasonably mistaken for protective helmets for pedal cyclists, if the words Warning: toy helmet only — do not use as safety headgear are marked clearly and legibly in a conspicuous position on:

 (i) the helmet or on a label attached to the helmet at the time of supply to the consumer; and

 (ii) the principal outer display face of any packaging in which the helmet is supplied to the consumer;

  with the word Warning in capital letters not less than 5 mm high, and the remaining words in letters not less than 2.5 mm high;

 (d) helmets (except BMX helmets) designed and constructed principally for use by cyclists engaged in competitive racing, if the words Warning: racing headgear only — inadequate impact protection for normal road use are marked clearly and legibly in a conspicuous position on:

 (i) the helmet or on a label attached to the helmet at the time of supply to the consumer; and

 (ii) the principal outer display face of any packaging in which the helmet is supplied to the consumer;

  with the word Warning in capital letters not less than 5 mm high, and the remaining words in letters not less than 2.5 mm high.

6 Standard until 12 December 2010

  Until the end of 12 December 2010, each of the following is a standard for protective helmets for pedal cyclists:

 (a) the standard described in Part 1 of Schedule 1 (AS/NZS 2063:1996) as varied by Part 2 of that Schedule;

 (b) the standard described in Part 3 of Schedule 1 (AS/NZS 2063:2008) as varied by Part 4 of that Schedule;

 (c) the standard described in Part 1 of Schedule 2 (Snell Standards), subject to Part 2 of that Schedule.

7 Standard from 13 December 2010

  On and after 13 December 2010, the standard for protective helmets for pedal cyclists is the standard described in Part 3 of Schedule 1 (AS/NZS 2063:2008) as varied by Part 4 of that Schedule.

Schedule 1 Australian/New Zealand Standards

(regulations 6 and 7)

Part 1 AS/NZS 2063:1996

  Australian/New Zealand Standard Pedal cycle helmets, published by Standards Australia on 5 May 1996 as amended by Amendment No. 1 of 5 November 1996.

Part 2 Variations to AS/NZS 2063:1996

[1] Clause 1

omit

[2] After clause 5.6

insert

5.7   BMX Helmets   Helmets designed and constructed principally for use by cyclists engaged in BMX competition racing need not comply with provisions regarding ventilation openings or type testing.

[3] Paragraph 8.1 (e)

omit

Part 3 AS/NZS 2063:2008

  Australian/New Zealand Standard Bicycle helmets, published by Standards Australia on 27 November 2008.

Part 4 Variations to AS/NZS 2063:2008

[1] Clause 1

omit

[2] Clause 5.3.3

substitute

5.3.3   Internal projections

The helmet should have no internal projections or irregularities likely to cause injury to the wearer in case of an accident.

[3] After clause 5.5

insert

5.6   BMX Helmets   Helmets designed and constructed principally for use by cyclists engaged in BMX competition racing need not comply with provisions regarding ventilation openings or type testing.

Schedule 2 Snell Standards

(regulation 6)

Part 1 1995 Standard For Protective Headgear For Use In Bicycling

  1995 Standard For Protective Headgear For Use In Bicycling, including the Child Helmet Addendum To Standards For Protective Headgear, published by the Snell Memorial Foundation of the United States of America and available on the Internet as the document:

  http://www.smf.org/standards/b952std.html.

Part 2 Compliance with the Snell Standard

  A person is not required to comply with a provision of the Standard that requires the person to obtain third party certification of a helmet.

Note   The Standard requires a person who manufactures a helmet, and who wishes to comply with the Standard, to obtain third party certification of the helmet.

Notes to the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001

Note 1

The Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001 (in force under the Trade Practices Act 1974) as shown in this compilation comprise Statutory Rules 2001 No. 279 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Instruments

Year and
Number

Date of notification
in Gazette or FRLI registration

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

2001 No. 279

5 Oct 2001

5 Oct 2001

 

2006 No. 217

11 Aug 2006

12 Aug 2006

2007 No. 260

27 Aug 2007 (see F2007L02621)

28 Aug 2007

2008 No. 242

2 Dec 2008 (see F2008L04523)

3 Dec 2008

2009 No. 390

14 Dec 2009 (see F2009L04426)

15 Dec 2009

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

R. 5.................

am. 2009 No. 390

Heading to r. 6..........

rs. 2006 No. 217; 2007 No. 260; 2008 No. 242

R. 6.................

am. 2006 No. 217; 2007 No. 260; 2008 No. 242

 

rs. 2009 No. 390

R. 7.................

ad. 2009 No. 390

Schedule 1

 

Heading to Schedule 1....

rs. 2009 No. 390

Schedule 1............

am. 2009 No. 390

 

 

Overview

The Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001 were enacted under the Trade Practices Act 1974 to establish consumer product safety standards specifically for bicycle helmets, thereby addressing the need for consistent and enforceable safety standards for these protective devices. These Regulations, which came into force upon gazettal, outline the mandatory safety standards that bicycle helmets must meet to ensure consumer safety. They apply to protective helmets for pedal cyclists, with specific exceptions for toys and competitive racing helmets, which require specific warning labels. The Regulations set different standards for bicycle helmets until 12 December 2010 and from 13 December 2010 onwards, reflecting the evolving nature of safety standards and technological advancements. The primary objective of these Regulations is to protect consumers by ensuring that bicycle helmets meet certain safety criteria, thereby reducing the incidence and severity of head injuries among cyclists.

Scope and Application

The Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001 apply to protective helmets designed for pedal cyclists, setting forth safety standards under the Trade Practices Act 1974. These regulations specifically target bicycle helmets to ensure they meet certain safety criteria, thereby safeguarding consumers from potential harm. However, the regulations do not apply to helmets that are too small to fit the specified headforms, to helmets clearly marked as toys, to certain racing helmets with appropriate warnings, and to BMX helmets with specific exemptions. The geographic reach of these regulations is national, applying across Australia. The regulations are subject to amendments through subordinate instruments, with the most recent amendment effective from 15 December 2009. Until 12 December 2010, the applicable standards were AS/NZS 2063:1996, AS/NZS 2063:2008, and the Snell Standards, each with certain variations. From 13 December 2010, the standard is solely AS/NZS 2063:2008, with specific modifications. This legislative instrument ensures that bicycle helmets available in the Australian market meet stringent safety requirements, protecting cyclists from head injuries in the event of an accident.

Key Provisions

The Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001 (the Regulations) establish the safety standards for bicycle helmets to be sold in Australia. These Regulations are significant as they aim to ensure that bicycle helmets provide adequate protection to cyclists. Under section 4 of the Regulations, the purpose is to set out the consumer product safety standard for bicycle helmets pursuant to subsection 65C(2) of the Trade Practices Act 1974. Section 5 specifies the application of these Regulations, stating that they apply to protective helmets for pedal cyclists. However, certain helmets are excluded from the scope of these Regulations, including those that are too small to fit certain headforms, toys that cannot be mistaken for protective helmets, toys that may be mistaken for protective helmets but are clearly marked as such, and racing helmets that are clearly marked with a warning about inadequate impact protection for normal road use. The Regulations impose specific obligations on manufacturers and suppliers of bicycle helmets to ensure they meet the required safety standards. Section 6 outlines the standards applicable until 12 December 2010, which include the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2063:1996 as varied by Part 2 of Schedule 1, AS/NZS 2063:2008 as varied by Part 4 of Schedule 1, and the Snell Standards as detailed in Part 1 of Schedule 2, subject to variations in Part 2 of Schedule 2. From 13 December 2010, the standard for bicycle helmets is solely the AS/NZS 2063:2008 standard as varied by Part 4 of Schedule 1. These standards address various aspects of helmet design and performance, including ventilation openings, type testing, and internal projections that could cause injury. Failure to comply with these Regulations can result in significant consequences. Section 65D of the Trade Practices Act 1974 provides that a person who contravenes a consumer product safety standard specified in regulations under section 65C is guilty of an offence. The penalties for contravening these Regulations can include substantial fines and, in severe cases, imprisonment. For corporations, the maximum penalty can be up to $1.65 million, while individuals can face penalties of up to $330,000, depending on the nature and extent of the contravention. These stringent penalties underscore the importance of adhering to the specified safety standards to protect consumers from harm.

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Consumer Law
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Regulation
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