NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kate Premo
May 22, 1996 (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1187
Release # 96-129

CPSC Launches Program to Prevent Home Electrical Wiring System Fires

WASHINGTON, D.C. - To help home owners prevent fires from electrical wiring systems, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is promoting guidelines that help pinpoint fire hazards in older homes -- the most vulnerable to electrical wiring fires. CPSC is also rewiring four older homes in different parts of the country to test low-cost ways of making old electrical systems safer.

National fire statistics show that more than 40,000 fires are caused each year by problems with home electrical wiring. For the past 10 years, electrical wiring systems have been the leading cause of fire deaths involving electrical equipment, claiming an average of nearly 350 lives each year. These deaths and fires cost society over $2 billion annually.

"As the federal agency that helps keep people safe in and around their homes, CPSC is finding common sense, affordable solutions to home-wiring hazards," CPSC Chairman Ann Brown said. "This project provides consumers information on the best, least expensive methods of doing something about them."

In an effort to reduce the number of home electrical wiring system fires and save lives, CPSC has identified common home electrical wiring system hazards:

To demonstrate low-cost solutions to these hazards, CPSC is rewiring homes in Capitol Heights, Md., Atlanta, Ga., Redlands, Calif., and St. Louis, Mo.

One of the greatest obstacles to determining whether older homes are safe is the lack of a current, widely accepted code against which the safety of older electrical wiring systems can be judged. CPSC's Home Electrical System Fires Project could help communities prevent fires and improve safety by raising their awareness of a new electrical code, which was developed by the National Fire Protection Administration (NFPA). The code describes approximately 50 dangerous residential wiring conditions which can be identified by a visual inspection by a qualified inspector.

CPSC's Home Electrical System Fires Project involves a broad coalition of public and private organizations, including fire prevention officials, the insurance industry, and the National Electrical Safety Foundations, which will identify solutions to the home wiring problems that contribute to electrical fires.

For more information on CPSC's Home Electrical System Fires Project and free brochures on home wiring hazards, consumers should send a postcard to: Home Wiring Safety, CPSC, Washington, D.C. 20207.

For a fee, the NFPA electrical code can be obtained by calling NFPA at (800) 344-3555.


NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kate Premo
May 19, 1993 (301) 504-0580 Ext. 1187
Release # 93-072

CPSC Launches Program to Prevent Home Electrical Wiring System Fires

FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 1993 RELEASE #93-072 SAFETY COMMISSION PICKS HOME ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FIRES AS 1995 PRIORITY WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today voted unanimously to select "Home Electrical System Fires" as the priority project for fiscal year (FY) 1995, which begins on October 1, 1994.
This is the second year CPSC selected this project to address electrical fires in older homes. The Commission estimates that in 1990 there were 42,000 fires involving home electrical wiring, resulting in 340 deaths, 1,370 injuries, and $569 million in property losses. The total annual cost to society was approximately $1.3 billion.
The Commission is particularly concerned about electrical fires in older homes because data show a disproportionately high frequency of electrical-system fires in homes more than 40 years old. Many of these fires occur in homes of consumers who are in the lower socio-economic bracket. About one-third of homes in the U.S. are more than 40 years old. While some of these homes are unoccupied, nearly 29 million of these older residences are occupied by families or individuals.
The Home Electrical System Fires project seeks to reduce the number of electrical fires by encouraging the development of a model electrical reinspection code for existing homes. One of the key aspects of the project is finding ways to upgrade the wiring at reasonable cost. CPSC plans to work with code organizations, electrical inspectors, and fire safety experts to promote the electrical reinspection code and to recommend ways to rehabilitate old electrical wiring.
CPSC selects its priority projects according to factors recommended by Congressional committees and several criteria established by Commission regulations. By Commission procedures, priority projects must be identified before the remainder of the agency's FY 1995 budget can be developed. The Commission's seven criteria for priority projects are: frequency and severity of injuries; causality of injuries; likelihood of future injuries or chronic illness; cost and benefit of CPSC action; unforeseen nature of the risk; vulnerability of the population at risk; and probability of exposure to the hazard.
In addition, Congressional committees recommend that the Commission limit the number of priority projects and choose only projects that have specific objectives and schedules.
The CPSC selected this priority project as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The Commission's objective is to reduce the estimated 28.6 million injuries and 21,700 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products within CPSC's jurisdiction.