Ansvarlig departement: Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet
Saksområde: Varer (diverse): tekniske handelshindringer (EØS-avtalens vedlegg 2.19)
Behandlende organ: Komitologikomite: vurder forslag fra Kommisjonen
Sakstype: Beslutning
BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonsutkastet, emgelsk utgave)
(1) Products which conform to national standards transposing European standards drawn up under Directive 2001/95/EC and referenced in the Official Journal of the European Union benefit from a presumption of safety.
(2) European standards are to be drawn up on the basis of requirements intended to ensure that products which conform to them satisfy the general safety requirement set out in Article 3 of Directive 2001/95/EC.
(3) No European standards exist for alcohol-powered flueless fireplaces, although various hazards are associated with them. Many models are designed with detachable fuel containers placed in a chamber within the fireplace, therefore fuel may spill within the chamber, evaporate, heat up and deflagrate. Refuelling an ethanol fireplace while it is still hot is very dangerous as ethanol may vaporise quickly, ignite and cause an explosion. In large amounts, carbon dioxide (one of the products of the complete combustion of ethanol) is hazardous to health and can lead to hyperventilation. The combustion of fuels in alcohol-powered flueless fireplaces might put human health at risk. The free-standing floor models may be placed too close to combustible materials and consequently cause a fire. Faulty installations of wall-mounted fireplaces may cause the plastic parts to melt from overheating, which may in turn lead to the fireplace becoming detached from the wall while still in operation.
(4) Furthermore, the installation of such fireplaces does not require any inspection from the authorities.
(5) It is therefore appropriate to determine the requirements intended to ensure that alcohol-powered flueless fireplaces satisfy the general safety requirement set out in Article 3 of Directive 2001/95/EC.
(6) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee on General Product Safety,
