Consumer Product Safety

NITE Alert_66

April 28, 2005

Accidents caused by an electric heater (carbon circle heater)

The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) received accident reports on February 18 and 19, 2004, stating that the glass heater tubes of electric heaters (carbon circle heater) imported by Sogo Giken K.K. broke due to manufacturing defects, and consequently burned and damaged floors or carpets.NITE investigated and evaluated accident causes, and announced the accident information on December 7, 2004, after further inspection of the case by the Accident Trend Committee.
In response to the accident, Sogo Giken K.K, the importer, issued a press announcement on February 11, 2004, and had been offering free inspection and repairs of the product.However, the company was declared bankrupt by the Tokyo District Court and there are currently no voluntary inspection and repair services.
There was an accident in March 2005 which was presumed to have been caused by the same product, which had not yet been recalled.NITE has issued this alert to prevent any recurrence of this accident and to protect consumers by providing information regarding these accidents and drawing consumers' attention to this matter.
Discontinue use of any the following products immediately, if they have not been inspected or repaired by Sogo Giken Kabushikigaisha

(Object product)

Name of product:
Carbon Circle Heater
Model:
S-700CL/S-600CM
Country of Origin:
China
Importer:
Sogo Kenkyujo K.K.
Sales period:
From September 2003 to February 2004
Number of Sales:
19,000 units
Number of accidents:
4 (3 cases occurred prior to announcement and 1case post announcement)

Carbon Circle Heater

1.Latest accident

In March 2005, an accident occurred at a private residence in Ishikawa Prefecture. The user switched off the heater upon noticing that the glass heater tube of the product had turned white, but the glass heater tube suddenly shattered, burning the carpet and the wooden flooring.

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2.Cause of accident

The accident was caused by a manufacturing defect in the glass tube which causes the tube to burst during use.

Fore 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
Address:1-22-16 Nankokita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 5590034, Japan MAP