Consumer Product Safety

Press release 2012.10.18 [Prevention of accidents involving kerosene heaters]

Prevention of accidents involving kerosene heaters

National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
Product Safety Technology Center
October 18, 2012

NITE (National Institute of Technology and Evaluation; President: Itaru Yasui) gave a presentation for the media on preventing accidents involving kerosene heaters as shown in the attached materials.

1. Press release

Release date:
October 18, 2012
Title:
Prevention of accidents involving kerosene heaters
Publisher:
Product Safety Technology Center
Summary:
With the winter approaching, the opportunities to use heating appliances increase. However, accidents involving heating appliances often involve a fire, occasionally causing human damage in addition to property damage. Such accidents have increased since the Great East Japan Earthquake last year in particular, after which trends for saving energy increased and more households started using kerosene heaters.
Of the product accident information reported to the NITE Product Safety Technology Center (*1), the number of accidents involving kerosene heaters (*2) amounted to 515 (*3) for the five-year period from fiscal 2007 to 2011. Accidents involving kerosene heaters start to increase from around October when they begin to be used, and peak from December to January. More than a half of those accidents are related to their use such as improper use or carelessness. When a fire is involved, the accident is likely to cause human damage. Hence, we urge you to take note of proper and safe use of the products to prevent such accidents.
(*1)
Including critical product accidents and non-critical near-misses (with no damage) reported according to the Consumer Product Safety Act.
(*2)
Kerosene heaters here include open type natural ventilating oil burning space heaters, vented kerosene heaters, and direct vent kerosene heaters.
(*3)
The figure is as of August 31, 2012, and was compiled based on a "date of occurrence" basis, excluding duplicate and inapplicable information.
Press briefing paper in Japanese

For more information;
National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE)
Product Safety Technology Center, Product Safety Investigation Division

Contact us

 Consumer Product Safety Public Relations Division  Product Safety Technology Center  National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
Phone number:+81-6-6612-2066
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