New Delhi, Dec. 15 -- We are halfway into December, and many of us have been waiting for the temperature to finally drop. Today's densely foggy morning, with near-zero visibility, made the cold feel sharper than expected. Even indoors, the chill was hard to ignore, pushing many households to switch on room heaters earlier than usual.

As room heaters become a daily winter essential, safety becomes just as important as warmth. To reduce the risk of electrical hazards and fire incidents, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has laid down mandatory safety guidelines that all room heaters sold in India must follow. These rules fall under IS 302-2-30:2007 and apply to every heater that carries the ISI certification mark.

According to BIS, the...