Check Your Electric Mat or Blanket Before You Use It

When you aren't using it, unplug it too. All of this comes from Korean Agency for Technology and Standards and Korea Consumer Agency material and a fire station column.

The sources I used differ in date and subject. The 2023 safety alert covers electric mats, the 2014 investigation covers 129 electric blanket products, and the 2020 fire station column covers heating appliances in general. The 2014 figures are from that time, so read them with the year.

Why are electric mats a fire-warning item every winter?

On November 7, 2023, to coincide with the start of winter, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards and the Korea Consumer Agency issued a consumer safety alert on electric mats. They urged caution because these are products that often cause fires every year. The fire station column, citing the National Fire Agency's fire statistics yearbook, explains that the frequency of fires over the year is highest between December and March.

What should you check when buying?

First check that the product has KC safety certification. In its 2014 release, the Korea Consumer Agency urged people to be sure to check that a product has the KC mark when buying, and the fire station column also names the KC mark as the first item to check. The column explains the mark as a sign that the heating appliance was produced and distributed in compliance with the safety standards of the electrical appliance safety laws.

In the 2014 investigation, 22 recalled products exceeded the allowed limits in temperature rise tests such as surface temperature and sleeping temperature, and there were also cases where major parts were swapped arbitrarily, unlike at the time of certification. Looking at the KC mark is only the starting point; after you buy, read the precautions in the user manual too.

Where is it dangerous to lay one?

The typical places are on a latex mattress and under a thick duvet. The 2023 safety alert named laying and using an electric mat on a heat-sensitive latex mattress as a frequent cause of fires. The fire station column gives the high heat accumulation rate and flammability of latex products as the reason, and also notes cases where flammable items like clothes left near a heating appliance touched the heating element and started a fire. In its 2014 release, the Korea Consumer Agency advised not to put a thick duvet or mattress pad on top of an electric blanket.

What should you do when not using it and when storing it?

Unplug it when you aren't using it and when you go out. According to the fire station column, even if you turn off the power switch, electricity keeps flowing while the cord is in the outlet. It also describes cases where heat built up inside the wire of a cord that was pressed or kinked, burned through the insulation, and started a fire.

When storing it, don't leave it folded for a long time. The safety alert explains that if you keep an electric mat folded for a long time while not using it, the folded parts of the heating wire can be damaged and lead to a fire.

If you're wondering whether to plug heating products into a power strip together, first read the power strip rated capacity article on how to check total power draw.

What types of safety accidents were common?

These are Korea Consumer Agency Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) statistics carried in the 2014 investigation release. There were 1,366 electric blanket safety accidents received from 2011 through the end of November 2014. These aren't current statistics but figures printed in the release of the time, so read them only as a reference for the share by product type.

By month, accidents were most frequent from January through March. The same release also carried the Consumer Agency's urging that children, elderly people, and patients not use one for long periods so they avoid low-temperature burns.

What should you check before you use it?

Run through the list below once before the first use of the winter.

• When buying: check that it has the KC safety certification mark and that you've read the precautions in the user manual.
• Where you lay it: check that it isn't on a latex mattress and that no thick duvet or mattress pad is layered on top.
• Surroundings and cord: check that no flammable items such as clothes are touching it and that the cord isn't pressed or kinked.
• After use: check that you unplugged it when not in use and when going out, and that you haven't left the heating wire folded for long in storage.