Decision 2006/502 - 2006/502/EC: Commission Decision of 11 May 2006 requiring Member States to take measures to ensure that only lighters which are child-resistant are placed on the market and to prohibit the placing on the market of novelty lighters (notified under documents number C(2006) 1887 and number C(2006) 1887 COR) (This text annuls and replaces the text published in Official Journal L 197 of 19 July 2006, p. 9 ) - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 198/41

Pursuant to Directive 2001/95, producers are obliged to place only safe products on the market.

According to Article 13 of Directive 2001/95/EC, if the Commission becomes aware that certain products present a serious risk to the health and safety of consumers, it may, under certain conditions, adopt a Decision requiring Member States to take temporary measures aimed in particular to restrict or make subject to particular conditions the placing on the market of such products, to ban their marketing and introduce the accompanying measures required to ensure that the ban is complied with, or to require their withdrawal or recall from the market.

Such a Decision is contingent upon the facts that Member States differ significantly on the approach adopted or to be adopted to deal with the risk concerned; that the risk cannot, in view of the nature of the safety issue, be dealt with in a manner compatible with the degree of urgency of the case under other procedures laid down by the specific Community legislation applicable to the products concerned; and that the risk can be eliminated effectively only by adopting appropriate measures applicable at Community level, in order to ensure a consistent and high level of protection of the health and safety of consumers and the proper functioning of the internal market.

Lighters are products which are inherently hazardous since they produce a flame or heat and since they contain a flammable fuel. They pose a serious risk when being misused by children, which may result in fires, injuries or even deaths. Taking account of the inherently hazardous nature of lighters, the very high number of items placed on the market and the foreseeable conditions of use, the seriousness of the risk posed by lighters to children’s safety should be dealt with in relation to their possible use in play by children.

The serious risk posed by lighters is confirmed by the available data and information on fires in the EU related to children playing with lighters. A report published by the United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry in February 1997 entitled ‘European research — accidents caused by children under five playing with cigarette lighters and matches’ estimated a total of about 1 200 fires, 260 injuries and 20 deaths per year in the EU for 1997. More recent information confirms that a significant number of serious accidents, including deaths, are still caused in the EU by children playing with non-resistant lighters.

Legislation establishing child-resistance requirements for lighters equivalent to those set out in this Decision exist in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States of America (US). Before setting up the legislation, a survey was launched in the US. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s 1993 proposal for a Regulation for lighters estimated that, per year, lighters used by children caused more than 5 000 fires, 1 150 injuries and 170 deaths in the US.

The US...