JAPAN: Elderly warned over aged appliances through kairanban

OSAKA, Japan (The Yomiuri Shimbun), March 31, 2008: The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has launched a campaign to advise people to stop using aged consumer appliances that might pose safety risks. Because many users of such aged appliances are elderly, the ministry had to think of an effective way to warn them of the dangers of using electrical appliances far beyond their service life. The medium the ministry chose was the kairanban circular notice, a traditional system of passing information from house to house in a neighborhood in which an advisory flyer is attached to a clipboard and passed among residents, who stamp it with their seal or sign it to indicate they have read it. The ministry has distributed 3.5 million flyers to local governments so they can be circulated right away. About 50 million households are expected to see the flyer. The appliances targeted in the campaign are electric fans, TVs, air conditioners and washing machines. When lubricant oil leaks from aged electric fans, the motor becomes overheated and may ignite dust around it. Water leaks from air conditioners and washing machines, meanwhile, may cause a short circuit. In the flyer, the ministry lists signs of degradation for each appliance and advises users to stop using an appliance if it shows any of the signs of wear and tear indicated on the list. Age-induced deterioration of consumer appliances drew attention in August last year, when a 37-year-old electric fan caused a fire at a house in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, killing a man and his wife in their 80s. According to the Tokyo Fire Department, about 70 fires have been caused by electric fans in its jurisdiction since 1998. The fatal fire in Adachi Ward prompted a revision of the Consumer Products Safety Law. Starting in April 2009, manufacturers of nine consumer appliances, including gas water heaters and dishwashers, are required to let users know when the devices need to be inspected and offer maintenance services if necessary. The revised law also obliges manufacturers of five items, including electric fans, to show prominently the month and year of manufacture and how long the item can be used safely under normal conditions. But the estimate is up to the manufacturer, so the indicated service life of the same item can vary from maker to maker. Meanwhile, people who continue to use the same appliance for decades tend to believe they should use it as long as it works, and all they need is a bit of patience if it does not work quite right. The ministry believes the kairanban bulletin is an effective way of letting such people know of the risk of entertaining such an assumption. According to the ministry, this is the first time it has used the kairanban system for a product-safety advisory. A ministry official said, "We'd like users to realize the signs of deterioration and consult with retailers or manufacturers." © The Yomiuri Shimbun