Two winter risks at home: bathing accidents and house fires, and how families can prepare

The short answer

Two risks stand out at home in winter: accidents in the bath and house fires. In both, most of the people who die are older. Bathing accidents are most common in December and January, and NITE reports that heater accidents also rise from November and are most frequent in December and January.

For the bath: warm the changing area and bathroom before getting in, and keep the water at 41°C or below and soaking time to 10 minutes or less. For fire: press the test button on your residential fire alarm to check that it sounds, and keep flammable things away from heaters. These four points are the first to talk over as a family. Japan's autumn national fire prevention campaign runs from 9 to 15 November, a good prompt for these checks.

Why bathing accidents rise in winter

According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, 8,270 people aged 65 or over died from accidental drowning and submersion in 2023, of whom 6,541 died in bathtubs. About 80% of drownings among older people happen while bathing, and they increase in winter, especially in December and January.

The agency gives two causes: sudden changes in blood pressure caused by the gap between a warm room and a cold changing area or bathroom (often called "heat shock"), and loss of awareness when body temperature rises from soaking too long in hot water. It matters that the family keeps an eye out too, rather than leaving it to the person bathing.

What to do before and during a bath

Here are the agency's measures, in the order of a bath.

1. Warm the changing area and bathroom beforehand, and use a thermometer to check the temperature difference between rooms
2. Drink some water before bathing, and avoid bathing straight after a meal, after drinking alcohol or after taking medicine
3. If someone else is at home, tell them you are about to take a bath
4. Aim for water at 41°C or below and no more than 10 minutes in the tub, checking with a thermometer and a timer
5. Do not stand up suddenly from the tub, and if you start to feel faint, drain the water before you lose consciousness

Family members should call out regularly during the bath to check all is well. These are the agency's general guidelines; this article does not cover bathing advice tailored to individual health conditions.

Residential fire alarms: "does it sound?" and "10 years"

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, more than 70% of people who die in house fires are 65 or older. Since a 2004 amendment to the Fire Service Act, residential fire alarms have been mandatory in homes, with some exceptions. Smoke-type alarms suit bedrooms and stairways, and heat-type alarms suit kitchens.

The agency asks people to test alarms regularly, for example by pressing the test button, and to replace them about 10 years after installation. Some models signal a low battery or a fault with a sound or light, so check the manual. Looking once at the manufacture or installation year printed on the unit makes the replacement date easier to track.

Heaters and clothing fires

According to the agency, heaters caused 1,016 fires in 2024. The most important measure is keeping clothes and other flammable items away from them. The agency also advises against placing heaters near curtains or furniture, drying laundry on them, or leaving spray cans nearby. Refuel kerosene heaters only after checking that the flame is out. NITE advises switching off electric heaters when you go out or go to bed.

For clothing fires, where flames spread to what someone is wearing, national fire statistics show 492 deaths in the five years from 2017 to 2021. NITE advises keeping a distance from flames and heat sources when using a stove or heater, and avoiding loose sleeves and hems or clothes with dangling cords. If clothing catches fire, put it out with water or an extinguisher, take the garment off if you can, and "stop, drop and roll".

Points to watch

If an older relative lives apart from you, simply pressing the alarm button together the next time you visit counts as a check. When replacing a heater, a model that shuts off automatically in an earthquake is recommended.