191 tal-2014 - Batteries and Accumulators (Amendment) Regulations, 2014

Suppliment tal-Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta’ Malta, Nru. 19,262, 3 ta’ Ġunju, 2014 B 2247

L.N. 191 of 2014

PRODUCT SAFETY ACT

(CAP. 427)

Batteries and Accumulators (Amendment) Regulations, 2014

BY VIRTUE of the powers granted by article 39 of the Product

Safety Act, the Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs &

Civil Liberties, on the advice of the Malta Competition and Consumer

Affairs Authority, has made the following regulations

(1)

The title of these regulations is the Batteries and Citation.

Accumulators (Amendment) Regulations, 2014 and these regulations

shall be read and construed as one with the Batteries and S.L. 427.08

Accumulators Regulations hereinafter referred to as "the principal

regulations".

(2) These regulations shall apply from 1 st July 2015.

Commencement

and scope.

(3) These regulations implement Articles 1(1), (2), (4), (10)(a)

and (10)(b) of Directive 2013/56/EU of the European Parliament and

of the Council of 20 November 2013 amending Directive 2006/66/EC

of the European Parliament and of the Council on batteries and

accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators as regards the

placing on the market of portable batteries and accumulators

containing cadmium intended for use in cordless power tools, and of

button cells with low mercury content, and repealing Commission

Decision 2009/603/EC.

(1)

Regulation 5 of the principal regulations shall be Amends

regulation 5.

amended as follows

(a)

subregulation (2) thereof shall be substituted by the

following

"(2) The prohibition set out in subregulation (1)(a)

shall not apply to button cells with a mercury content of no

more than 2% by weight until 1 October 2015."; and

(b)

paragraph (c) of subregulation (3) thereof shall be

substituted by the following

"(c) cordless power tools; this exemption in

respect of cordless power tools shall apply until 31

December 2016.".

(1) Sub-regulation (2) of regulation 8 the principal

regulations shall be substituted by the following

"(2)

Batteries and accumulators which do not meet the

requirements of these regulations, but which were lawfully

placed on the market prior to the date of application of the

respective prohibitions set out in regulation 5, may continue to

be marketed until stocks are exhausted.".

Immediately after regulation 8 of the principal regulations

there shall be added the following new regulation

(1)

Manufacturers

shall

design

appliances in such a way that waste batteries and

accumulators can be readily removed. Where they

cannot be readily removed by the end-user,

manufacturers shall design appliances in such a way

that waste batteries and accumulators can be readily

removed by qualified professionals that are

independent of the manufacturer. Appliances in which

batteries and accumulators are incorporated shall be

accompanied by instructions on how those batteries

and accumulators can be safely removed by either the

end-user or by independent qualified professionals.

Where appropriate, the instructions shall also inform

the end-user of the types of battery or accumulator

incorporated into the appliance.

(2) The provisions set out in subregulation (1)

shall not apply where, for safety, performance, medical

or data integrity reasons, continuity of power supply is

necessary and a permanent connection between the

appliance and the battery or accumulator is required.".

€0.09