Consumer Product Safety

Accident Information Special News No.3

December 26, 1996

As of December 24, 1996, Tokyo Fire Defense Agency released an accident of a ceramic heater of Harashima Industries Co., Ltd., which has a possibility of causing smoking or ignition by a production problem.

To prevent the accident from reoccurring and protect the consumer, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry determined to provide the information related to the accident.

If you have the following product, immediately stop using it.

Product
Name of article Cerapoka
Model LC-316
Produced in Japan
Manufactured by Harashima Industries, Co., Ltd.
Period of sales From December 1987 to March 1988
Number of heaters 49,971
Sold regions Sold by mail order mainly in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyushu

According to the announcement of the Tokyo Fire Defense Agency, the occurrence situations of the accidents are as follows.

1. Accident Occurrence Situations

In December 1996, at the first floor of a condominium in Koto ward, Tokyo, a fire broke out from a ceramic heater, Cerapoka to develop into a small fire.From April 1993 until now, 4 similar accidents broke out in using the same models.

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2. Origins of Accidents

A wiring connection part (an electric wire is inserted and locked by a force of a leaf spring) of a "switch for changing over between ventilation and hot air blast" in the device became loose connection and the current of 12A in maximum flows therethrough so as to be heated and ignited.

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3. Recall Situations of Product

Harashima Industries Co., Ltd. is in such financial states as impossible of spontaneously releasing the announcement at present so that to prevent the similar fire from reoccurring, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry determined to release this accident.

Contact us

 Consumer Product Safety Public Relations Division  Product Safety Technology Center  National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
Phone number:+81-6-6612-2066
Fax number:+81-6-6612-1617
Address:1-22-16 Nankokita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 5590034, Japan MAP