How sure are you that your home’s appliances don’t pose a fire risk?
As part of The Chronicle’s What Price Life? campaign, SEAN SEDDON has advice we should all heed
AFTER the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire, it emerged that the huge blaze had been started by a simple fridge-freezer.
The revelation has prompted calls for government to make sure councils and housing providers make sure electrical appliances in homes are safe.
Leading charity Electrical Safety First (ESF), which is spearheading the calls for reform, has issued some handy guidance on things you can do right now to make sure your white goods are safe.
The Chronicle has launched the What Price Life? campaign, calling for a raft of changes to how people are kept safe from fire in high-rise blocks, and we think you should know about these tips.
ESF has also revealed which product is most likely to cause a fire.
Here’s everything about you should be aware of and what you should do to keep you and your family safe.
WHICH HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES ARE MOST LIKELY TO CAUSE A FIRE?
ESF analysed a list of 2,562 domestic appliance fires in 2015 and 2016 and came up with this list.
The washing machine came out on top as the most dangerous appliance, responsible for almost a fifth of fires of this kind. 1. 19% – washing machines (482) 2. 18% – tumble dryers (460) 3. 15% – electric cookers including oven (388) 4. 9% – dishwashers (238) 5. 8% – fridges/freezers ( 208) 6. 5% – extractor fans (136) 7. 5% – grill/toasters (135) 8. 4% – microwaves (109) 9. 4% – other domestic appliances (92) 10. 3% – washer-dryer combos (66)
HOW CAN I MAKE SURE THE APPLIANCES IN MY HOME ARE SAFE?
This handy list of tips from ESF should make sure that the products in your house are up to scratch:
1. Buy from a reputable dealer/manufacturer and never buy second hand white goods.
2. Always register your appliance with the manufacturer so you can be notified if there’s a problem. (See the next section for more information on this.)
3. You should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions with any appliance, and
4. If you’re concerned about an appliance in your home, use Electrical Safety First’s online product checker to see if it has been recalled.
On top of that, it’s worth saying that this alone won’t keep you totally safe and other fire safety precautions should be carried out.
Chief among those is making sure you have working smoke alarms in your property.
HOW CAN I REGISTER AN APPLIANCE?
Anyone is welcome to register their household appliances with the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA), the UK trade body representing more than 85% of all appliances sold in the UK.
If a product is AMDEA-approved, it means it abides by a code of practice that makes sure appliances are
designed, tested and manufactured to a high standard. Registering your appliances with them means you’ll be the first to know about any recalls when a product has been identified as being potentially dangerous or about any upgrades available to customers. You can register by going online to: registermyappliance.org.uk/ registration/ HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?
Electrical Safety First has launched a website dedicated to providing guidance on this issue in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
You can visit www.whitegoodsafety. com to learn more.