Abstract
Injuries can occur with fireworks if they explode before users are a safe distance away, or when users approach a firework that they incorrectly assume is a dud. In this study, we investigated the amount of elapsed time before users start to approach an unexploded firework. We had 30 test participants light four fireworks. After lighting each one, the participants indicated: 1) when they thought the firework would explode, and 2) when they first thought the firework was a dud. Participants were asked to walk toward the firework when they assumed it was a dud and pick it up.
Our data showed that 95% of users would start to walk toward a firework after 9 seconds had elapsed. Based on the test results, the Consumer Product Safety Commission published a final rule in the Federal Register amending the U.S. fuse burn time regulation to allow fuses to burn for 3 to 9 seconds before exploding, as opposed to the 3 to 6 seconds required in the original regulations.
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