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- Careless Use of Snowblowers May Cause Fatal Accidents - Points to note to prevent snowblower accidents, increasing sharply in the past
Careless Use of Snowblowers May Cause Fatal Accidents - Points to note to prevent snowblower accidents, increasing sharply in the past
Points to note to prevent snowblower accidents, increasing sharply in the past three years
December 22, 2023
Joint Press Release with the Consumer Affairs Agency and the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
Some people may use a snowblower as a useful tool to remove heavy snowfall, but incorrect use of the machine may cause a fatal accident. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) hereby announces some points to note for the safe use of snowblowers, before the peak snow season from January to February arrives.
Overview
According to the information on product accidents*1 reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) for the decade from FY2013 to FY2022, 38 accidents resulting in death or injury were caused by snowblowers. Among these 38 cases, 21 occurred during the three years from FY2020 to FY2022, and many of them occurred in regions with heavy snowfall. Out of these 38 cases, 25 were fatal accidents, and many of them (21 out of 25) were caused by incorrect use or carelessness.
Note: None of the pictures used in this press release relate to accidents that actually occurred.
*Note 1: These accidents include serious product accidents reported under the Consumer Products Safety Act as well as information on non-serious product accidents and on minor but potentially dangerous incidents (with no damage) that were collected under the NITE’s Accident Information Collection System.
*Note 2: This data targets 38 fatal accidents caused by snowblowers from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2023.
Points to note in using a snowblower
- Do not disable any safety features of the snowblower.
- Do not leave the machine with the engine running.
- Do not use the machine when someone else is nearby. Watch out for any obstacles to avoid collision.
- When removing clogged snow, turn off the engine and use a snow removal tool.
- Do not stand by the machine with the engine running indoors or in poorly ventilated areas.
1. Snowblower structure and part names
2. Facts about accidents caused by snowblowers
Facts about the 38 fatal accidents caused by snowblowers are as follows.
2-1. Breakdown of the number of accidents
Figure 2 shows the number of accidents by damage, and Figure 3 shows the number of accidents by cause. Concerning the accidents caused by snowblowers by damage, fatal accidents show the highest ratio, and approximately 80% of the accidents were caused by incorrect use or carelessness.
(Incorrect use and carelessness were the causes of 21 out of 25 fatal accidents, 10 out of 11 serious injuries, and 1 out of 2 light injuries.)
2-2. Number of accidents by event
Table 1 shows the number of accidents by event. Many fatal accidents were caused by two events, namely “pinned under the snowblower” and “caught in the snowblower,” and many serious injuries were caused by the event where the user “put a hand into the snowblower with the engine running.“
In addition, 26 out of 38 cases were caused by users who disabled safety features or failed to use such features.
Table 1: Number of accidents by event (numerals in brackets ([ ]) show the number of accidents caused by users who disabled safety features or failed to use such features.)
Division in Charge
- Product Accident Information and Analysis Office, Product Safety Division, Industrial and Product Safety Policy Group, METI
- Consumer Safety Division, Consumer Affairs Agency
- Product Safety Technology Center, National Institute of Technology and Evaluation