The U.S Coast Guard (USCG) recently released a statement warning to all vessel owners, operators, charterers, merchant mariners, passengers and all others linked to the maritime domain, about the dangers related to the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone (now discontinued).
The document, issued last week, mentioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which has reported at least 92 cases of batteries overheating during last month. About 26 of these episodes involved customer burns and 55 included property damage.
According to U.S Coast Guard, the primary concern is the phone’s Lithium-ion battery “which stores significant energy. During normal use and charging, devices have overheated and ruptured. The recalled devices have a 5.7-inch screen and were sold in the following colors: black onyx, blue coral, gold platinum and silver titanium with matching stylus. The word ‘Samsung’ appears across the top front of the phone with Galaxy Note 7 printed on the back,” says the statement, which also includes phones recently replaced by the manufacturer.
The USCG recommended to power down immediately and stop the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones and also gave some advice in case of discovering a Galaxy Note 7 on a vessel:
- Turn off the phone.
- Disconnect the phone from any charging equipment.
- Disable all applications that could inadvertently activate the phone such as the alarm clock.
- Protect the power switch to prevent it from being turned on.
- Keep the device accessible under constant supervision.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also released a statement on October 8, banning the use of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from airplanes starting on October 15: “the Federal Aviation Administration urges passengers onboard aircraft to power down, and not use, charge, or stow in checked baggage, any Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices, including recalled and replacement devices.”
Sales of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 were halted on September 2 after several reports of fire, some of them causing injuries to customers.
Samsung has delayed the development of Galaxy8 device by two weeks until getting to the bottom of the Note’s 7 overheating problems.
Sources:
http://www.swedishclub.com/media_upload/files/Member%20Alerts/1516U1.pdf
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-fatal-mistake-that-doomed-samsungs-galaxy-note-1477248978?mod=e2tw
