August 21, 1997

Industry Announces Corrective Action to Improve Safety of Halogen Torchiere Floor Lamps

The halogen lamp industry is recalling for in-home consumer repair some 40-million halogen torchiere floor lamps. The halogen bulbs in these lamps can cause fires.

The industry is aware of at least 189 fires and 11 deaths since 1992 involving halogen torchiere floor lamps. The industry is making free wire guards available to consumers through a cooperative effort with many retail stores. Installing the wire guard over the glass bulb shield will reduce the potential fire hazard by making it harder for flammable materials to touch the lamp's halogen bulb. For the guard to be effective, consumers must use only halogen bulbs of 300 watts or less in the lamp.

Halogen torchiere floor lamps are freestanding lamps with a shallow bowl-shaped light fixture mounted on top of a 6-foot pole and illuminated by a tubular halogen bulb. These lamps first became available in the United States in 1983 and sales have grown significantly in the 1990s. The tubular halogen bulbs operate at temperatures much hotter than regular bulbs, and can pose a fire risk if curtains, clothing, or other flammable materials contact the bulb.

Consumers who own halogen torchiere floor lamps without a glass or wire guard over the glass bulb shield can receive a free wire guard with installation instructions from the following retail stores, which are helping the industry make the guards available to consumers: Ames, B.J.'s Wholesale Club, Hechingers/Home Quarters, Home Base, Home Depot, Ikea, Kmart, Lowes, Montgomery Ward, Office Depot, Target, and Walmart. The guards will be available in all stores by August 25. Consumers should not return the lamps to the retail stores.

If consumers cannot get to a store, they can receive the guard by calling (800) 985-2220. This program only applies to torchiere floor lamps using halogen bulbs. Remember, for the guard to be effective, consumers must use only halogen bulbs of 300 watts or less in the lamp.