The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) estimates in 2001 put the number of residential fires caused by movable or “space” room heaters in the US at over 25,000 per year. More than 300 people die in these fires and an estimated 6,000 receive hospital emergency room care for burn injuries associated with contacting hot surfaces of room heaters, says CPSC.

In India, we do not have any such data, but in March this year, newspapers reported the tragic death of a couple from Ludhiana, while on their honeymoon in Kashmir. Initial reports said the death was believed to be caused by “gas leakage” from the room heater. The exact nature of the room heater or the gas used were not mentioned, but it is quite possible that the death could have been caused by accumulation of carbon monoxide in the room. In the US, gas-fired room heaters are required to be equipped with an oxygen-depletion sensor which shuts off the heater before a hazardous level of carbon monoxide accumulates.

Today, we have a variety of gadgets to keep the house warm in winter, but barring the most basic of home-heating devices — the radiator (that consists of a reflective surface and one or two heating elements which together provide the heat), none of the other heating devices are under mandatory quality certification. The Electrical Wires, Cables, Appliances and Protection Devices and Accessories (quality control ) order covers only radiators among the home-heating devices. So there is no third party certification for the other heating devices available in the market. This is a major lacuna in so far as consumer safety is concerned.

In fact Ahmedabad-based consumer group, Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) recently tested eight brands of ‘heaters with fans’ against the standards formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Only three conformed to all the safety and performance parameters.

I would lay similar emphasis on mandatory certification for other heating devices too. Take oil heaters — a recent entrant into the heater market — these look good and are said to be efficient. But in these kind of heaters, oil leakage is a possibility, if the metal used for the fins is not of good quality or if the fins are not welded properly. But in the absence of third party certification, one has to go only by the claims of the manufacturer.

Considering that right to safety is one of the fundamental rights of consumers and unsafe home-heating gadgets could be life-threatening, the government should bring them all under mandatory certification.