Consumer Product Safety

Press release 2011.09.22 [Preventing Accidents Involving Children Playing with Lighters]

Preventing Accidents Involving Children Playing with Lighters

National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
Product Safety Technology Center
September 22, 2011

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

1. Press release

Release date:
September 22, 2011
Title:
Preventing Accidents Involving Children Playing with Lighters
Publisher:
Product Safety Technology Center
Summary:
Product accidents reported to the Product Safety Technology Center at NITE from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2009 include 169 cases involving lighters, including 13 cases caused by children playing with fire.
Because such a small number of lighter accidents involving children playing with fire were reported to NITE, NITE asked for the cooperation of fire stations*1. Analysis of fire accident data from fire stations have revealed that 127 accidents caused by children playing with lighters were reported from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2009, including 53 cases involving children 12 years old or younger. Accidents involving children playing with lighters are quite frequently caused by little children.
To prevent accidents involving children playing with lighters, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has designated lighters and similar devices*2 as specified products under the Consumer Product Safety Act, and on December 27 last year it introduced a restriction on sales that means the manufacturer must install a system to prevent children from playing with them (child resistant) and eliminate toy-type (novelty) products that may prove attractive to children. Since September 27 of this year, when the provisional period is over, lighters cannot be sold without a PSC mark showing that the product complies with the technical criteria.
Because of the considerable number of accidents involving children playing with lighters, NITE has decided to promote consumer awareness to prevent these accidents.
*1
Fire stations: Some fire-defense organizations in large cities; names are not disclosed because we deal with data on fires that cannot be released publicly
*2
Lighters or multi-purpose lighters (igniter rods) with a fuel container, with all or part of the body made of plastic
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
Fax number:+81-6-6612-1617
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