GSA shuts down mattress manufacturer

The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has closed down a mattress manufacturing company at Afienya, near Tema, in the Greater Accra Region, for producing with substandard materials.

The company, ZxX Limited, was said to have been using polystyrene for the manufacture of Moonda mattresses instead of the acceptable polyurethane.

Polystyrene is used for protecting gadgets and household appliances such as refrigerators, air conditioners, ovens, microwaves, vacuum cleaners and blenders in their packaging.

These appliances are protected with polystyrene (solid and foam) because polystyrene does not react with other materials.

Exercise

The operation, according to the Head of Special Projects of GSA, George Kojo Anti, followed reports that the Chinese company was using inferior materials in the production of mattresses in the local market.

He said the company had not registered with the GSA and, therefore, did not fall under the GSA licence certification mark.

In view of that, Mr Anti said appropriate punishment would be applied to them.

He further said that although the reports received by the GSA concerning the company's operations were mainly about substandard mattress manufacturing, the authority discovered a range of household appliances, including television sets, being produced from the manufacturing system at Afienya.

He said the GSA team subsequently inspected the company's warehouse where a range of products, including television sets and refrigerators, were discovered. 

Inventory

Mr Anti said the authority took a comprehensive inventory and collected samples of the items for further testing.

He said although Ghana was open for business, the system would not allow foreigners to produce low-grade goods for human consumption, emphasising that the use of polystyrene posed a danger to humans.

The enforcement team, which was accompanied by the police, therefore, closed the warehouse for further regulatory reviews.
 

Consumer protection 

The Assistant Enforcement Manager of GSA, Kofi Boamah, also explained that the exercise was to protect consumers and ensure safe trading.

"The GSA stands for fairness and aims not to destroy businesses, but to regulate them and ensure compliance," he stressed.

Mr Boamah said the GSA would follow up with the necessary actions and measures to ensure companies complied with the law to produce quality products for the Ghanaian market.

He called on other manufacturing companies to secure the relevant licence from the GSA, and to also comply with production standards in order not to compromise the health of the public.

Mr Boamah assured the public that the GSA would continue to execute its legal mandate to protect consumers and promote trade.