19.Law Concerning The Securing Of Safety And The Optimization Of Transaction Of Liquified Petroleum Gas

19. Law Concerning The Securing Of Safety And The Optimization Of Transaction Of Liquified Petroleum Gas

(1)PURPOSE OF THE LAW AND SYSTEM
The objective of this law is to prevent disasters stemming from liquefied petroleum gas as well as to effect proper transactions in liquefied petroleum gas in order to advance the public welfare by regulating the sale of liquefied petroleum gas to the general consumers and the manufacture liquefied petroleum gas apparatus.

(2)OUTLINE OF THE LAW AND SYSTEM
Sale restriction
Equipment and appliance and materials used when a consumer consumes liquefied petroleum gas are designated as the "Liquefied Petroleum Gas Equipment and Appliances" in the Enforcement Ordinance. In case of manufacturing, importing and selling of the liquefied petroleum gas appliances, one should attach an indication of conformity to the technical standards.
Indication restriction
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Equipment and Appliances are so called self-confirmation items. Manufacturers are allowed to put indications, by reporting, after confirming of conformity to technical standards based on their own test.
Specified Liquefied Petroleum Gas Equipment and Appliances
Of liquefied petroleum gas equipment and appliances, items deemed to be extremely high risk in the occurrence of disasters are defined as specified liquefied petroleum gas equipment and appliances. In addition to seruring safety by own test, the test by the third-party testing body approved or authorized by the minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

(3) CABINET ORDER AND MINISTERIAL ORDINANCES
Enforcement Order of the Law Concerning the Securing of Safety and the Optimization of Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Enforcement Regulations of the Law Concerning the Securing of Safety and the Optimization of Transaction of Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Ministerial Ordinance Equipment and Appliances of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas

(4) OUTLINE OF THE CONTROL
1) Items Covered
i. Specified Liquefied Petroleum Gas Equipment and Appliances
Liquefied petroleum gas apparatuses, vented-type instantaneous water heaters for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, vented-type bath heater with burners for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, bath heaters, bath burners for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, vented-type spaceheaters for Liquefied Petroleum Gas and gas valves for Liquefied Petroleum Gas

ii. Liquefied Petroleum Gas Equipment and Appliances (other than the above-mentioned specified Equipment and appliances)
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Gas leakage alarms for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, low pressure hoses for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, automatic earthquake-activated shutdown valves for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, regulators, unvented or outdoor instantaneous water heaters for Liquefied Gas, high pressure hoses for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, bath heaters with unvented, direct vented or outdoor type burners for Liquefied Gas, unvented, direct vented or outdoor spaceheaters2) Outline of Technical Requirements and Conformity Assessment procedures
If any item handled by an establishment manufacturing or importing falls under specified liquefied petroleum gas equipment and appliances, the establishment shall obtain a certificate that the said item conforms to technical requirements prescribed and store it by the ministerial ordinance after taking an inspection conducted by the third-party inspection body authorized (domestic establishment) or approved (foreigner establishment) by the Minister of Economy, Trade and industry through inspection by a method prescribed by ministerial ordinance (Article 47).
In the case of manufacturing or importing other liquefied petroleum gas equipment and appliances, a manufacturer or an importer shall obtain a certificate that the said items conform to technical requirements prescribed by ministerial ordinance by preparing inspection records describing the conformity of the items and storing these records after carrying out an inspection through a method prescribed by the ministerial ordinance (Article 46).

(5) REFERENCE INFORMATION
(Liaison Office for Further Information)
Product Safety Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Tel. 03-3501-1511 http://www.meti.go.jp