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HEALTH

Danish safety agency finds defects in ‘one in three’ fireworks

Firework products tested prior to sale in December 2022 were commonly defective, according to the Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen).

Danish safety agency finds defects in 'one in three' fireworks
Firework products are often found to be short of safety standards prior to Denmark's legal sale period in December. File photo: Niels Christian Vilmann/Ritzau Scanpix

Annual testing by the agency found that as many as one in three firework products were defective, the Authority said in a press statement.

The agency tested 147 different products and found that a third had a defect of some form.

Half of the defects were so serious that the product was removed from the market, while the other half were “okay after taking action”. This might mean improving markings or instructions on the product, but in some cases the importer or merchant chose to withdraw these products too.

“We prioritise firework testing highly in consideration of consumer safety,” Safety Technology Authority director Maibrit Brandt said.

“Fireworks are generally a product that comprise a risk and every year we unfortunately find a significant amount that don’t live up to standards,” she said.

Denmark restricts the sale of fireworks so they can be purchased from December 15th until New Year’s Eve and set off from December 27th to January 1st.

READ ALSO: Why does Denmark go so crazy for New Year’s Eve fireworks?

But the safety agency also tested smaller fireworks that can be used indoors and are approved for sale year-round, it said in the statement.

It found that the smaller types can also have defects that make them unfit for sale.

“There’s a risk with all fireworks and you should therefore be alert when you use them and check the safety instructions, including the distance you need to keep from the firework,” Brandt said.

“If you want to prevent eye injuries it’s also a good idea to wear safety glasses, both outdoors and indoors,” she said.

Fireworks that failed safety tests in 2022 are listed on the website Produkter.dk. Consumers can also report fireworks using the website if they experience defects or problems when using them.

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DANISH TRADITIONS

What’s open and what’s closed on Pentecost Monday in Denmark?

Whit (or Pentecost) Monday, is known as anden pinsedag in Denmark and is a national holiday, meaning most workers get to enjoy a long weekend. Here's what you need to know about what's open and closed.

What's open and what's closed on Pentecost Monday in Denmark?

Anden pinsedag or pinsemandag, is an important festival for Denmark’s Lutheran Church, commemorating the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus. Pentecost always falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter, and pinsemandag always falls the next day, this year on May 20th. 

Schools in Denmark are closed, so many parents are effectively forced to take the day off as well, but as it is a bank holiday or red day, most workers have the day off anyway. 

What’s closed? 

Shops

Denmark is strict with shop opening times on public holidays, with the Lukkeloven, or closing law, requiring most shops to remain shuttered on Whit Monday. 

This includes all major supermarkets, with only smaller local grocery shops with a turnover of less than 43.4 million kroner a year allowed to stay open.

Those that can stay open are likely to include smaller convenience stores from the Dagli’Brugsen and Brugsen chains, as well branches of COOP’s discount chain 365discount, and smaller shops in the Kvickly and Superbrugsen chains.

The closing law allows the Danish Business Authority to grant some grocery stores in rural areas and holiday home areas to stay open on public holidays on a case by case basis, but if you’re travelling out to a rural area, don’t bet on anything being open.

Petrol stations are also allowed to stay open, as are shops selling bread, dairy products and newspapers, garden centres, second-hand shops and pawnbrokers, and market stalls selling food and household products.

But even smaller shops selling durable goods like clothes, shoes, or other items other than groceries must remain closed.

If you’re planning on buying a more upmarket wine or snaps, you should be aware that specialist wine merchants will also be closed.

Municipalities

Your local borgerservice, the public-facing service desk at your local town hall, will be closed on Whit Monday, so if you need to pick up a new driving license, for example, you’ll have to wait until Tuesday.

Health

Most Danish primary care centres are closed. If you urgently need a doctor, you should ring the number of your local on-call doctor (lægevagt), emergency dentist or emergency psychiatrist, which you can find listed for Denmark’s regional health authorities here.

The person on the phone will then decide whether you need to come into a hospital or emergency clinic for treatment or examination.

What’s open?

Museums and galleries pretty much all remain open on Whit Monday, even those that close over the Easter period, as do restaurants, hotels and the like.

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