Candles & fire safety

A recent incident, or rather a recent finding inspired me to write about safety when lighting candles, and the importance of candle safety advice. The purpose of this article is to provide readers with information about candle safety pictograms, why it's so important to follow candle safety advice, and why they should be provided with all candles.

Candles: what are they?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candles are ignitable wicks embedded in wax or another flammable solid substance that emit light and fragrance. Though they create a gorgeous warm glow and pleasant aromas, candles are also an open flame, and a potential fire hazard if not carefully monitored.

Detailed fire statistics, which are publicly available, show us that candles are not the biggest cause of house fires. To put it in context, candles are the cause of approximately 1000 house fires each year. For example, in 2021/22, the authorities recorded a number of 940 accidental dwelling fires using candles, of which 887 are registered as human factors (negligent use) and 53 as non-human/other/unspecified factors. 

“There is a good level of consumer knowledge around candle safety, certainly since the introduction of effective safety warnings and pictograms. This demonstrates the benefit/need for good quality user instructions/warnings and that they do make a difference. However, there is no room for complacency, in 2016-17 nineteen people died in fires attributed to candles, for their families that is nineteen too many. The risk of fire can be minimised by suitable warnings to the consumer, and as your duty is to make the product as safe as possible given reasonably foreseeable use, you must provide suitable warnings.” British Candle Makers Federation.

All home fragrance products need to be supplied with the correct labelling information, more specifically The CLP Regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging), a European Union legislation that standardises the warnings that have to be on products that contain chemical substances (essential and fragrance oils) and also the product safety information as warnings.

All information supplied with a candle shall be presented in a clear format on the product and should be easily and nonverbally comprehensive. Such warnings shall be visible/legible on the product or packaging. The messages may be given using the pictograms or text or both.

Hazards and Warnings

General Warning Sign

 

 Under the standard these three safety messages are mandatory in all cases:

	Never leave a burning candle unattended
	Keep away from children and pets
	Keep away from things that can catch fire

 

Optional Pictograms

	Do not burn in a draught
	Keep candles at least 10 cm apart
	Do not place near a heat source
	Place candle upright
	Trim wick to 5 cm
	Snuff out the flame. Do not blow it out
	Keep the wax pool clear of matches and debris
	Do not move a burning candle
	Do not touch, may be hot
	Never use liquid to extinguish

 

Mandatory Pictograms for Certain Types

	Use a heat resistant candleholder
	Use in a suitable bowl filled with water

 

A study suggests that 85 percent of candle fires could be avoided if consumers followed three basic safety rules:

• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Never burn a candle on or near anything that might catch fire.
• Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.

In conclusion, candle safety measure are imperative to ensure candle lighting doesn't create chaos. Keeping your home and loved ones safe from candle fires requires that you follow all safety measures and tips.