Provisional Translation
| OTO No. | 490 | Classification | MHA-13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Acceptance | December 9, 1992 | Ministry/Agency Receiving Complaint | Economic Planning Agency |
| Responsible Ministries | Ministry of Home Affairs | Related Laws | Fire Service Law |
| Complainant | Denmark Embassy (proxy complaint) | Exporting Countries | Denmark |
| Subject | Clarification of reasons for regulations concerning overhead cabinets installed as part of mini-kitchens equipped with electric hot plates, and review of regulations | ||
| Details of Measures | The Fire Defense Agency of the Ministry of Home Affairs, under Article 9 of the Fire Service Law, has notified all prefectures of the Working Rules to the Fire Prevention Law (hereafter, "Working Rules"), which form the standard content of the fire prevention ordinances enacted by cities, towns and villages (in the case of Tokyo, the Tokyo metropolitan government). The Working Rules contain regulations on fire prevention and also on the installation of facilities using fire. As kitchen equipment, the electric hot plate which is the subject of this complaint must be installed at "a safe distance for fire prevention" (hereafter, "a safe distance") from the surrounding building structure and from flammable materials (Section 1 item 1, Article 3 of the Working Rules corresponding to Section 2, Article 3-4 of the Working Rules). In this case, the "safe distance" is considered the same as the distance of 1 meter required in the case of a gas-cooking ring. This distance of 1 meter is dictated not only to prevent the ignition of flammable materials due to heat from the heat source but also to ensure a certain delay in the spread of fire to surrounding areas in the case of a tempura oil fire (cooking oil left unattended during heating and which reaches the ignition point) and to facilitate fire fighting in that event. Except for hot plates which have been fitted appropriately to prevent overheating and fire, this distance should not differ depending on the type (electricity or gas) and heat value of the heat source. The complainant was advised that this regulation was in place because it is very common for ordinary households to prepare deep-fried foods using cooking oil, resulting in frequent tempura oil fires (fires caused from cooking fried oil), which have been the leading cause of fire in recent years. |
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| Classification of Processing | Cc | Directions | I-a I-b |
| Remarks | |||