When ironing clothes on an ironing board, its legs were suddenly folded. The iron fell down and burned user's calf.
Ironing board legs were suddenly folded and the iron fell down from the board because some of the screws for leg fastening metal parts were missing or loosely attached. The following shows details of the case.
Details of the inquiry
I was ironing clothes on a brand new ironing board (See Photo 1). When I placed the iron upright on the ironing board on the right side near me, legs of the ironing board were suddenly folded inside. The hot iron fell down from the board and dropped on my right calf. I got burned on the iron. I turned over the ironing board to observe its reverse side. Each leg seemed to be fastened to the board with a metal part and four screws, but I found that two out of the four screws for one leg were missing. When I contacted the manufacturer and told that I got burned due to the accident, the manufacturer told me that they would pay for my medical treatment.
At a later date, I received a report from the manufacturer, which stated "We investigated why the ironing board legs had been suddenly folded, and conducted a simulation test under the same conditions 200 times. Based on the results, we have concluded that there is no causal relation between the product and the burn injury. Therefore we are not in a position to pay your treatment cost."
I'm not satisfied with their response. I would like you to investigate why the legs were suddenly folded. Although more than one month has passed since I received medical treatment, my burn has not healed yet.
Photo 1: Product under complaint
Product test and investigation
After receiving the inquiry, the local consumer affairs center (hereinafter called "the center") requested NCAC to conduct relevant product tests. The test results showed the following.
(1) Appearance check
The product under complaint was an ironing board with foldable legs. Both front and hind legs were fastened to the board with metal parts (See Photo 2) and screws, but some screw heads were raised (See Photo 3) and one of the hind legs were missing two screws (See Photo 4).
NCAC removed all the screws and metal parts to observe the conditions, and found that the unscrewed holes were threadless and showed no sign of screws being in the holes (See Photo 5).
Photo 2: Reverse side when legs are folded
Photo 3: Raised screw heads
Photo 4: Leg missing two screws
Photo 5: Screw holes (when a metal part and screws are removed)
(2) Investigation of the fixed state of legs
NCAC measured the force required for folding legs, using the product under complaint, a same type product, and a reference product (See Photo 6).
Measurement results showed that the force around 10N (approximately 1kgf) was required for the same type product and the reference product, while only 1.5N (approximately 0.15kgf) was required for the product under complaint.
Moreover, spread legs of the product under complaint were loosely fixed. When lifting up the board, legs hung down straight under their own weight and became unstable. When the product was placed as it is, sometimes legs were folded without any load and fell down (See Photo 7).
Photo 6: Force required for folding legs
Photo 7-1: Product under complaint placed on a flat surface
Photo 7-2: Product under complaint lifted up
Photo 7-3: Legs folded with weak force
(3) Stability test
In order to examine the stability of the product under complaint when its legs are spread, NCAC conducted the stability test with reference to "CPSA0139 SG Standard for Ironing Board for Home-use" (established in September 2015), using the product under complaint and the same type product. During the test, neither of the products fell down.
(4) Labeling and representation
None of the product under complaint, the same type product and the reference product was labeled concerning legs and stability.
The same type product was supplied with a caution label concerning stability, which stated, "Check for damage and wobbliness before use to ensure safety", "When you use the product with legs unfolded, fully unfold legs before use", "Use the product at a flat and stable place", etc.
The reference product was supplied with a caution label concerning stability, which stated, "Check for cracks, damage, wobbliness, and stability of legs before use", "Fully unfold legs and place the product at a flat place to ensure stability before use", etc.
Based on the above, it has been inferred that the ironing board legs were suddenly folded because some of the screws for fixing the leg fastening parts were missing or loosely attached.
Summarized outcome
The center communicated the test results to the inquirer and the manufacturer. The center told the manufacturer as follows: "It appears that the user got burned because the ironing board legs were suddenly folded and the iron fell from the board. Therefore, the incident may fall under the category of serious product accidents under the Consumer Product Safety Act. We would like you to report the incident to the Consumer Affairs Agency". In addition, the center informed the manufacturer that the inquirer hoped to reach a negotiated settlement with the manufacturer, and requested the manufacturer to talk with the inquirer.
At a later date, the manufacturer reported to the center as follows: "We talked with the inquirer and covered the medical treatment cost, which satisfied the inquirer. We inspected all the same type products in our stock and found that all of them were screwed where necessary. We will discontinue manufacturing and selling the products in the near future."
The manufacturer reported the incident to the Consumer Affairs Agency as a serious product accident under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The center reported the incident to the Consumer Affairs Agency as a serious accident under the Consumer Safety Act.
