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Health & Consumer Protection Directorate General

EU initiatives to increase

consumer fire safety

6th EFA RoundtableParis, 1 February 2008

Gwenn Straszburger/ Antonella CorreraProduct and Service Safety unit

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Presentation

Fire Safety in HotelOther fire-safety initiatives

RIP cigarettesFlammability of upholstered furnitureFlammability of nightwearChild-resistant lighters

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General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC

Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC + interpretative documents and decisions

+ EU standardsSafety of Lifts

Directive 95/16/EC

Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC

Framework Directive 89/391/EEC on safety and health of workers at work

Directive 89/654/EEC on

safety and health requirements for

the workplaceDirective 92/58/EEC on safety and/or health signs at work

Directive 2000/78/EC on equal treatment in employment and occupation

Stability of buildings, construction features (incl. electric lighting, ventilation,

heating, alarm systems)

Safety of equipments and appliances

Escape routes, alarm systems, safety instructions,

staff training, accessibility

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The EU regulatory context Council Recommandation 1986

Defines minimum safety standards for all hotels in the Community (of a capacity of at least 20 guests) and Recommends that MS take all appropriate measures to guarantee safety standards when existing laws are not sufficientTechnical guidelines: availability and accessibility of escape routes, structural stability of the building, flammability of the materials used, safe operation of technical equipment and appliances, alarms, safety instructions and plans of the premises, emergency fire-fighting equipment and staff training

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The EU regulatory context ctd Construction Product Directive

sets up specific requirements in the event of an outbreak of fire for all construction works, including hotelsdecisions on the means of achieving safety in case of fire are exclusive MS competence

Low Voltage Directiverequirements of the Council Recommendation addressing the risks linked to electrical lighting have been implemented by the LVD

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Where do we stand at EU level?

2001 Report on the application of the Recommendation in MS:

contributed to increase the level of safety in hotels across the EU, minimum safety standards were not fully achieved, certain MS have restricted its application to new hotels or new work on existing hotels

20 years discussion on the issue of hotel safety – in particular as regards fire safety – with the MS and stakeholdersTo date: no evidence supporting the case for action at EU level rather than for effective enforcement of national rules No EU wide data and statistics

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EU Wide Data Collection

Critical point: absence of statistical homogeneity in the way fire accidents are registered in the MS makes comparability a very difficult and inaccurate exercise

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EU Wide Data Collection

Nibra: Nb. of fatalities per millions inhabitants per year: 10.8 in UK, 6 in Spain, 11.8 in France, 15.7 in Sweden and 7.3 in Germany

IDB: 500.000 hospitalisations following injuries due to fire / burns in the EU

111 "burn/scald" accidents in hotels leading to hospitalisation

extrapolation to EU27 level would yield: approx. 6.000 "burn/scald" accidents in hotels leading to hospitalisation occurred in the period 2002-2005 in the EU27 area, about 600 cases of which are related to "open fire and flames".

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RAPEX- types of notified risks

NOTIFICATIONS PER RISK

3 6

62

9

158

212

21 2031

4

215

8

187

10

336

1 6

40

6 1 2

54

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

4001. Injuries – 3362. Electric shock – 2153. Choking – 2124. Fire – 1875. Chemical – 158

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Next Steps at EU levelMeeting M. Kuneva/Hotel representativesPoints to be discussed

Fire safety in hotels + identified pbsCo-regulatory approach? Performance-based approach?Other safety matters (swimming pool, fitness, etc.)Consumer-related issues, e.g.: complaints, use of the internet for booking, satisfaction, etc.Quality- star rating system?

Experts Working Group?

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Other EU Fire Safety Initiatives

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Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes (RIP)

The issue:1.000 fatalities/year in the EU as a result of fires caused by carelessly unattended cigarettes igniting upholstery or textiles in homesVictimes are also non-smokers including children and fire-fighters

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RIP cigarettes

Situation in the Member States, Norway and Iceland

Information to SANCO from 2005 to 2007Cigarette-related fires registered in some Member States only - no data from several large Member StatesDetailed fire cause not always entirely clear: Cigarette left alone or cigarette stub thrown away?

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RIP cigarettes

Situation in the Member States, Norway and Iceland (cont’d)

Every year (14MS + Norway, Iceland)11,000 fires520 deaths and 1,600 injuries€14 million material damage

Benefits of RIP cigarettes: prevention/year of:14,000 fires700 fatalities and 2,500 injuries€ 50 million damage

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RIP cigarettes

EU Fire Safety Network: strongly favours RIP cigarettes

Athens1 27.11.07: « … the Commission’s proposals will therefore undoubtedly have a measurable impact on improving fire safety for EU’s citizens in a way that has not been possible through education and advice alone over many decades. »

Situation in the Member States, Norway and Iceland (cont’d)

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RIP cigarettes

Price « increase » of cigarettes of 0.2% maximumNo change in consumers’ purchasing behaviourSpecial « speed bump » paper available within 3 to 5 yearsNot more toxic than conventional cigarettes

Economic and health impact

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RIP cigarettes

29.11.07: MS approved a Commission proposal for a Directive to allow tobacco producers to sell only Reduced Ignition Propensity cigarettes. COM adoption: March/April 2008

Safety requirement: No more than 25% of the cigarettes in the batch of cigarette specimens to be tested may burn through their whole length (= fail the test)Ref. to ASTM E2187-04 in a recital

Fire safety requirements for the EU

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RIP cigarettes

Draft Mandate reflecting the fire safety requirements

Advisory procedure in Directive 98/34/CE CommitteeReference to ASTM E2187-04 will be underlined when passing the mandate to CENStandard then provides the presumption of safety

Mandate to CEN

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Child-resistant/novelty lighters

All cigarette lighters placed on the market must be child-resistant and Novelty lighters can no longer be placed on the EU market as from 11 March 2007On 12 April 2007, the Commission adopted Decision 2007/231/EC extending its validity until 11 May 2008 and adding the requirement that non-child resistant lighters and novelty lighters can no longer be sold to consumers from 11 March 2008 onwards.

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Lighters (Ctd)

Why this Decision on lighters?

Cigarette lighters are consumer products which are inherently hazardous, since they produce a flame or heat, and contain a fuel. They pose a serious risk when misused by children.

1500 and 1900 injuries and 34 to 40 fatalities per year in the EU are due to fire-related accidents caused by children playing with lighters. The introduction of child-resistance requirements in the US brought about a 60% reduction in the number of such accidents.

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Novelty lighters: examples

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Child-Resistant Lighters: Revised Standard

EN 13869: requirements for determining whether a lighter is child resistantCOM is working on a revision of the standard to minimise the need for child panel testing of lighters

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THANK YOU!

Fire Safety in Hotels / Data collection:Gwenn.Straszburger@ec.europa.eu

Standardisation- Flame retardants:Antonella.Correra@ec.europa.eu