Buyers should look for child-resistant caps on garden torches, the federal government says. (Health Canada)

People should check for safety labels and child-resistant caps when buying decorative refillable garden torches, sometimes called tiki torches, Health Canada says.

Although no injuries have been reported, inspections over the past two years have turned up many torches that don't meet Canadian safety standards, the federal department said in a warning issued Monday.

Such torches may pose fire or poisoning risks, it said in an accompanying information bulletin.

The warning, timed for the patio season, reiterated points the department made in a similar statement in March.

The torches, often mounted on bamboo or metal poles, are sold with empty metal or glass reservoirs to be filled with liquid paraffin, lamp oil, citronella or kerosene. The reservoirs may need child-resistant caps and warning labels for safety reasons, the department said.

It offered a two-point checklist:

• See if the bottle of fuel used to fill the torch reservoir has a child-resistant cap. If so, then the reservoir should have a child-resistant cap as well.
• See if the reservoir has a warning label. It should be similar to the label on the fuel bottle.

All torches should be kept out of the reach of children and those lacking child-resistant caps should be scrapped, the department said. Leftover fuel should be disposed of "in accordance with applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws," it added.

The department said it has pulled many torches that don't meet Canadian standards off the market but named no companies or brands.

It urged people to report any product they suspect is non-compliant to its consumer product safety branch by telephone at 1-866-662-0666 or by email specifying the store and the province or territory where the item was found.