Accident Information Special News13 (The report in the 1996 fiscal year)

1. Number of Accident Information Collected in Fiscal Year 1996, 1017 Cases.

The number of the accident information collected to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in the fiscal year 1996 was 1017 cases. It was almost same with the fiscal year 1995, or the first year when the PL law was enacted.

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2. Situations of Accidents Classified by Articles

The accident information related to the three article fields of the domestic electrical appliances (316 cases), the combustion appliances (256 cases), and the vehicle and the vehicle-related products (167 cases) occupies 72.7% of the collected product accident information.

As the background of increase in the accident information of the combustion appliances and the vehicle and the vehicle-related products, there are cited that the accident information, which was released on the newspapers was thoroughly collected.

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3. Situations of Damage

Approximately 43% (435 cases) of the accidents involve the human injury and approximately 32% (321 cases) spread the damage to that except for the accidental products. The casualties were approximately 8% (78 cases), whose 56% (44 cases) was caused by the combustion appliances.

1. （１）As for the casualties, the 56% (44 cases) was the accident by the combustion appliances.The details were fire and carbon monoxide intoxication.
2. （２）The major origins of the casualties were solely the wrong use and the careless usage, which occupy almost half (38 cases) of the all, and the origins other than that are unknown origin and under investigation.

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4.Origins of Accidents

Among the accidents, those thought to be solely caused by the wrong use and careless usage are the highest, approximately 36% (366 cases) of the all, by the unknown origin approximately 26% (264 cases), and by problems in design, structure, and labeling approximately 18% (179 cases).

1. （１）As for the accidents solely caused by the wrong use and the careless usage, the combustion appliances (150 cases) were outnumbered and the domestic electrical products (83 cases) ranked second.
2. （２）As for the accidents caused by the unknown origins, the domestic electrical products (89 cases), the vehicle and vehicle-related products (88 cases), and the combustion appliances (54 cases) occupy nearly 90% of the all.Most of them were ignition accidents and the accidental products were fiercely burnt so as to be difficult to unfold the origins.
3. （３）The accidents solely caused by problems in the design, structure, and labeling were the domestic electrical products (64 cases), the personal belongings (29 cases), and the vehicle and vehicle-related products (16 cases).

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5. Test for Settling Accident Information by Ministry of International Trade and Industry

For taking appropriate administrative actions, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry performs tests for settling accident information on those required to unfold the origins among the collected accident information.

In the fiscal 1996, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry performed 46 tests (Including the product accident information collected in the fiscal year 1995) for settling accident information and based on the test results, necessary measures were taken for 6 cases.

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6. Reoccurrence Prevention Measures in Ministry of International Trade and Industry

As for the accidents whose origins were unfolded and caused by the product itself, from the viewpoint of the accident reoccurrence prevention, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry instructs the makers and the industries concerned to take necessary measures such as intensification of the management of the production process.

Among them, two cases of an oil heater (accident occurrence: 1995 and 1996) and a hair drier (accident occurrence: 1995) which may cause smoking and the ignition, and a case of an baby bed, which was unconformity with the safety standards for Safety Law of Consumer Life Products were publicly announced so as to have practical effects of the recall and by the "Accident Information Special News" of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, they were also widely informed to the consumer related organizations.

Based on the Safety Law of Consumer Life Products, the harm prevention order was invoked to the two cases of roller skates and the baby bed.

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7. Reoccurrence Prevention Actions taken by Enterprises

1. （１）The products reported to be spontaneously recalled, or recalled or replaced by releasing the announcements on the newspaper were 16 products (15 companies) such as the oil heater and the hair drier.
2. （２）Besides these, various actions were taken for preventing the reoccurrence by the respective companies such as the improvement of the product, the improvement of the production process, the intensification of the quality control, improvement of the labeling, and the review of the instruction.