Butane Grills Guidelines

OMB Control Number 3041-0029

INVESTIGATION GUIDELINE

Appendix 124
October 2001

BUTANE TABLETOP GRILLS
I.

INTRODUCTION

A.

Background Information

Since 1995, CPSC is aware of 27 incidents resulting in
one death and 39 injuries associated with butane tabletop
cooking appliances. Most injuries were burns sustained
when flames unexpectedly emanated from the grills, possibly
due to butane leaking and being ignited. A lesser number
of injuries were sustained from explosions where victims
did not witness flames or fire.
The purpose of the investigations will be to identify
the failure mechanism(s) in each scenario, whether on the
part of the grill or the butane canister, and study how
they relate to the severity of injury of the victims. To
this end, the lab is interested in collecting the incident
grills and butane canisters for examination.
Please note that this is a guideline, not a checklist.
Any relevant information discovered in the course of the
investigation should be included regardless of whether it
was explicitly requested in this guideline or in the
assignment message.
B.

Product Design

The sketch below depicts a single burner grill
(although double-burner designs are also in-scope for this
project) using an 8 oz. disposable butane canister. The
canister is placed in a compartment to the right of the
burner (as you face the front of the grill) and plugs
directly into the controls. In this design, there is a
notch in the upper lip of the fuel canister to align the
can properly. Some grills are shipped with the drip pan
inverted for compactness.

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FUEL
COMPARTMENT

NOTCH
DRIP PAN

BURNER
FUEL CANISTER CONTROL

FUEL CANISTER

KNOB

LOCK LEVER

Sketch 490-3248-01A
Wm. R owe

7/28/99 rev 10/20/99

C.

Specific Items of Interest

•

Was the grill shipped with the drip pan inverted? Was
the grill in use with the drip pan inverted during the
incident?

•

Where did incident occur (cabin of boat, outdoor deck of
boat, indoors in restaurant, etc.) ?

•

At what point did the incident occur (when the fuel was
being connected to the stove, when the fuel was being
disconnected from the stove, while victim was cooking on
the stove, incident occurred while stove was not in use,
etc.) ?

•

Did consumer have any difficulty installing the fuel
container in the stove? If so, describe.

•

Determine how long product had been in use just prior to
incident. Also determine how long the fuel canister
involved in the incident had been in use just prior to

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the incident (One 8 oz. butane canister is expected to
last 1½ - 2 hours.)
•

Did the consumer notice an explosion, flames, or both?
If both, in what order did they occur?

•

Describe the food being cooked during or just prior to
the incident? Was grease or oil a by-product of the
cooking? Describe whether food was being cooked in
cookware or directly on the grill.

•

Give the dimensions, shape, and material of the cookware
being used on the stove during or just prior to the
incident.

•

Description of grill and butane canister, including
manufacturer(s), model numbers, age of stove, and age of
fuel canister.

•

Note the condition of the canister, and if it failed,
where it failed.

•

Describe how often grill was used (or if incident
occurred during 1 st time use) and document any historical
problems with the product.

•

Describe the area(s) on the stove and fuel canister that
experienced the most severe damage.

•

Describe any standards labeling or warnings on each
product.

D.

Headquarters Contacts
Susan Vagts EPHA 301-504-0470, x1118
William Rowe, LSE 301-413-0173

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II.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COLLECTING SPECIFIC INFORMATION

A.

Synopsis

Code investigations involving butane tabletop grills
using Product Code 3248 – Gas or LP grills or stoves. Be
sure to use butane in the synopsis.
B.

Description of the Incident Environment

Pre-incident. Include in this portion of the narrative
a description of the specific circumstances leading to the
incident. Document who loaded the butane canister that was
being used when the incident occurred and who ignited the
burner. Indicate if the victims had any difficulty or
confusion about performing either of these tasks. Ask if
victim heard any hissing noise or smelled gas or an onion-y
smell (butane odorant), indicating a butane leak.
Incident. Describe in the narrative how the fire
and/or explosion happened. If this is speculative, give the
reasons for this particular reconstruction of events.
Post-incident. Include injuries, type of treatment
administered, property damage, medical costs and resulting
physical limitations. Document the disposition of the
grill and butane canister.
C.

Description of the Injured Person(s) and Product
Interaction

The narrative should include information on how well
the victim(s) understood the products and hazards involved.
Indicate whether victims had operated the incident grill or
grills with the same design in the past. Indicate if an
instruction manual was included with purchase of product
and if the victim had read and understood instructions.
D.

Description of the Product

Obtain the manufacturer and model from labeling on the
grill, packaging, or from the instruction manual. Also
describe the butane canister used. Document any claims of
safety features found on the grill labeling. Copy those
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pages of the instruction manual pertaining to any safety
features or warnings.
E.

Product Safety Standards

CPSC does not have mandatory standards on these
products. There is a UL voluntary standard 45Z7 under
which these products may be listed as either Gas-Fired
Portable Cook Stoves for Outdoor and Indoor Commercial Use
Only or Portable Gas Camp Stoves. Butane canisters should
be certified to DOT-2Q or DOT-2P.
III. INSTRUCTIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND/OR DIAGRAMING FACTORS
RELATED TO THE INVESTIGATION
•

Photograph the area(s) on the stove and butane canister
that experienced the most severe damage.

•

Photograph the cookware that was being used on the stove
at the time of the incident. If possible, photograph the
cookware next to the stove so that the relative size can
be seen.

•

Photograph any standards labeling or warnings on grill
and butane canister.

•

Obtain any other available photographs.

IV.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OBTAINING SAMPLES AND
DOCUMENTSRELATED TO THE INVESTIGATION

•

If the butane canister and grill involved in the incident
are still available, please attempt to collect and send
to the CPSC lab c/o Bill Rowe, LSE.

•

Obtain a copy of the fire department report

•

If an insurance claim was filed as a result of the
incident, provide the insurance company, contact, and
claim number

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•

Try to obtain expert technical reports from insurance
companies and forensic engineering firms. If a subpoena
is needed, contact Susan Vagts (EPHA) for assistance.

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