The wound later became infected, and Andrews had to take a week off work and go on antibiotics to recover.
She said other items she had come across such as brooms and spades that had a detachable end covering a metal shaft either had some type of plastic connector or a rounded edge to the metal to prevent such injuries. The Kmart mopโs metal shaft was sharp and unprotected in comparison, she said.
โI raised my safety concerns with Kmart who seemed to care about me since they asked about the details of the injury and requested I take the mop back to the shop for assessment,โ she said.
Andrews dropped off the mop and received a call about a week later notifying her Kmart had closed its investigation.
โThey told me they had been unable to test the mop I took back to the shop as it had been โmisplacedโ,โ she claimed. Instead they told her they had tested other mops of the same type, and had not found an issue.
Andrews told them she had tested some of the mops in store herself and found the end came off several, including different types of mop.
โI told them this on the phone and Kmart said they could only talk about and investigate the mop which hurt me,โ she claimed.
โI believe this mop and others Kmart sell are unsafe, but they donโt want to hear it.
โI want them to recall it or at least everyone be warned and not buy that mop.โ
Kmart did not respond to requests for comment.
Consumer NZโs communications and campaigns adviser, Abby Damen, said the Consumer Guarantees Act required products to be of acceptable quality, which included them being safe to use.
โThis consumerโs experience suggests this particular mop may not have met those standards, and so she has the right to request a refund, repair or replacement from Kmart,โ she said.
โWhen it comes to the safety of products, deciphering whether something is safe to use should not be the responsibility of those using it. If you think a product is unsafe, contact the retailer or supplier as soon as possible. You can also report it to Product Safety NZ.“
Andrews has reported the matter to Product Safety, which is managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
โReports from the public help government agencies identify, assess and respond to issues,โ said MBIE spokesman Ian Caplin.
He said consumers should contact the business, supplier and retailer as a first step if they had safety concerns.
โAfter a company identifies one of their products as unsafe or it does not meet safety standards, the expectation is that the responsible company will issue a voluntary recall of their product.โ
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.