A dodgy deep-fryer, chairs that were mislabelled about the weight they could hold, and an unsafe drain cleaner have landed supermarket giant Woolworths in court over product safety.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is taking action against Woolworths in the Federal Court, alleging it failed to adequately report product safety issues and was slow to issue recalls.

"Consumers are entitled to expect that the goods that they purchase from retailers are safe, and that retailers will act swiftly when product defects are subsequently identified, to avoid further potential harm to consumers," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

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Under Australian consumer law, Woolworths is required to file a report if they become aware a serious injury or illness may have been caused by one of their products.

The ACCC alleges Woolworths failed to file the mandatory reports.

Among the products in the spotlight in this court case are three Woolworths homebrand products.

They are the Abode 3L stainless steel deep-fryer, Woolworths Select 1 litre drain cleaner and Homebrand safety matches (10 boxes per pack).

The ACCC alleges that by offering these products for sale, Woolworths made them out to be safe when they were not.

The ACCC alleges that in two separate incidents, two customers ended up in hospital with serious burns after the handle of their deep-fryers snapped and they were splashed with hot oil.

Lawyers allege the product was not withdrawn from sale quickly enough.

Young boy needed surgery for drain cleaner burns

Court documents also allege a customer suffered a nose bleed, burns to her eyelid, forehead and nose when she dropped a bottle of Select drain cleaner and it splashed up on her.

Another customer suffered blisters when she dropped a bottle of the drain cleaner in store. The cap unexpectedly popped off, and the cleaner spilt on her foot.

Three other customers were burned by the product in separate incidents, including an 11-month-old boy who needed surgery.

The ACCC also alleges that Woolworths made false or misleading representations about the weight capacity of two models of chairs.

Court documents allege a customer suffered a nose bleed, burns to her eyelid, forehead and nose when she dropped a bottle of Select drain cleaner and it splashed up on her. ( Supplied )

It says the Woolworths Home Collection padded flop chair and Masters home improvement folding stepping stool did not withstand the maximum weight load stated on their packaging.

One customer fractured a vertebra after a folding stool collapsed, despite claiming she weighed 25 kilograms lighter than the labelled maximum weight.

Mr Sims said companies have a responsibility to ensure goods are safe, especially if they are cheap imports.

"You can't rely on Customs people at the border checking that various goods are safe, that's not their role. Really the message has to be: companies, if you're particularly getting inexpensive goods then you've got to make sure, extra sure, they are safe," he said.

"You've got to have the compliance procedures in place, you've got to have the pre-inspection procedures in place, that's really the message we're getting through here, corporate responsibility.

"In this competitive environment, people will look to low-priced goods for consumers, we welcome that, and we want consumers to have low-priced goods, but I think we would say that you have to take extra effort to check that they're OK."

Mr Sims said some of the customers are dealing directly with Woolworths about their individual incidents, and the ACCC is not trying to recoup any money for them.

"What we’re concerned about is that misrepresentations that we say are implied, they need to be taken seriously and there's penalties of up to $1.1 million applying there," he said.

"And there's also of course penalties for not reporting serious incidents within the requisite time."

Customers who bought products entitled to a full refund

The products have all since been recalled by Woolworths.

Consumers can obtain further information on these products from the Recalls Australia website.

If consumers still have any of the products they should immediately return the product to Woolworths and are entitled to a full refund.

It says that in the case of the Woolworths Select drain cleaner consumers should refer to the Recalls Australia website.

In a statement issued to the ABC, Woolworths said each matter will be "evaluated".

"Woolworths always aims to put customer safety first," it said in the statement.

"These are serious matters and we will evaluate each claim carefully and respond as appropriate on merit.

"As part of our commitment to safety and continuous improvement, we have in the past couple of years committed additional resources to our quality assurance team.

"We have added more than 80 people and recruited global experts who are leaders in this field, as well as investing significant capital in systems and process upgrades.

"We have robust systems and processes in place to manage product safety.

"The Woolworths quality assurance program exists to provide end to end advice and oversight through a product's lifecycle, from the time it is sourced through to monitoring of any issues when it is available to customers on shelf."