Consumer Product Safety

Hottoku Nabe (pan)

December 26, 2001

Accidents on "Hottoku Nabe (pan)" (Calling Attention)

Accident information on the "Hottoku Nabe*" for a household use was reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (hereinafter, referred to as "NITE").
At present, NITE examines to unfold the origin of the accidents, however, for preventing similar accidents from happening again, after investigating into the company, NITE decided to call attention to the users by introducing the accident occurrence situations.
(As for the accidents related to this product, NITE called the attention to the users through the Accident Special News No. 43 as of September 25, 2001, however, responding to the occurrence of the 6th accident, decided to carry it again.)

1.Accident Cases of "Hottoku Nabe"

  1. (1)A user poured oil into this product to approximately 60% of its depth and when she heated it for 2 - 3 minutes, the inner pot was exfoliated from the outer pot and blown off to the ceiling to make two holes in the ceiling.
    This blast sent the oil in the product flying all over the circumference to splash on the user, however, the oil temperature was low so as to prevent the user from being hurt.
  2. (2)When a user oiled this product and heated it in the empty state, several minutes later, with a big sound, a bang, the product fell off a gas range onto a floor. When the user looked at the product, the bottom of the inner pan was deformed and swelled.
  3. (3)When this product was heated at a heating power slightly lower than the medium heat, the inner pan was exfoliated, flown high to hit a ventilator and then rebounded back to hit the user on the face. The user was suffered from the whiplash injury.
  4. (4)When a user poured oil into this product till 1/3 of the depth and heated it at the strong heating power to cook fried food, 2 - 3 minutes thereafter, the inner pan was exfoliated, flown, and hit a ventilator positioned upward by 1m. The oil splashed over the ceiling and hit the user on the back and the hands, however, the oil temperature was not so high to save the user from being burned.
  5. (5)When a user fried materials using this product, the inside of the pan was flown out. The user cut the thumb and the small finger of the right hand by the flown inner pot and got burned on the wrist.
  6. (6)When a user poured oil into the improved-type of this pan (selling after April 2001) to approximately 2cm in the depth, heated it at the heating power from weak to the medium for 2 - 3 minutes, and put materials therein, then suddenly the inner pan was flown, hit a range hood and a wall near a window, and dropped on the floor. The oil splashed all over the kitchen and also onto the head of the user, however, the user escaped from the injury including a burn.

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2. Measures Taken for the Product

The importer of this products submitted a report that the accidents highly possibly occurred by combining three conditions together, (1) water entered into the air layer in the pan, (2) the pan was used at the strong heating power, and (3) after the water enters into the air layer in the pan, the flange between the inner pan and the outer pan was closed into a completely sealed state.

Though the importer sold the improved type after April 2001, the improved type also caused the accident. Based on the examination on the accident cases up to now, there is the possibility it may cause serious accidents.

From the viewpoint of the safety security of the consumers, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry instructs the company to immediately take more practical measures such as voluntarily refrain from selling the products and recall of the products.

If you have the following product, immediately stop using it and make contact with the following company.

 
Product information
Product Name Target Articles Name of Company Contact Number
Hottoku Nabe
Size (diameter):
14, 18, 20, 22, and 24cm
Period of Selling:
September 2000 - October 2001
Arnest Co., Ltd. 0256-64-2525

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