Disposable Lighters and Child-appealing Novelty Lighters

In May 2006, the European Commission notified to Member States new requirements for the safety of lighters.  This notification signalled the beginning of a phased removal from the European consumer market of disposable lighters that do not have a child-resistant mechanism and all child-appealing novelty lighters.

The Commission’s notification (via a renewable twelve-month Commission Decision) essentially declared that disposable lighters that do not have child-resistant mechanisms, and all child-appealing novelty lighters (examples of which can be seen on this Commission Web-page), are to be regarded as unsafe and must be removed from the consumer market.

Because of the volume of these lighters already in the supply chain, and the need to allow manufacturers time to switch to child-resistant production, the Commission planned a two-stage removal of these products from the market. A block on the placing of these products on the European market was introduced on 11 March 2007. The supply to consumers of any of these products still on the market was prohibited from 11 March 2008.

Trading Standards have been directed to enforce these requirements using powers available to them under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005.

The Commission Decision is a temporary measure that will be renewed annually pending the completion of a revision to the European standard for child-resistance in lighters (EN 13869:2002).  BERR’s direction to local authority Trading Standards will be renewed in line with the Commission Decision.

A copy of the current Direction to local authorities, which includes a copy of the Commission Decision, and the guidance on the new requirements that we have produced for businesses, can be found on the right-hand side of this page.

Contact Michael Porter for further information: 020 7215 6078, Michael.porter@berr.gsi.gov.uk

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