Product safety conference highlights appliance dangers

The Electrical Safety Council’s recent Product Safety Conference brought together a wide range of speakers and delegates to discuss the latest developments in market surveillance and electrical product safety.

The programme covered a range of key issues, including a review of the UK’s surveillance priorities and a look at how collaborative working between manufacturers and government agencies is increasing seizures of unsafe and counterfeit goods.

Many of the presentations highlighted the dangers posed by unsafe electrical appliances and some of the key messages included in presentations included:

- London Fire Brigade reported that 891 fires caused by large domestic appliances in the period 2008-2011.- 10% of world trade is now represented by counterfeit products, with approx £30 million of counterfeit electrical goods entering the UK market in 2010.- Appliance testing by the trading standards office of one UK county council reported that 26% were non-compliant and 45% were unsafe.- Statistics from Essex Fire and Rescue showed that from 2006-2008, there were 438 primary fires as a result of faulty electrical appliances, These caused 75 casualties.- A safety campaign in care homes in the south of England revealed that 5.8% of the electrical items tested were found to be faulty.

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Up to 500,000 Beko fridge freezers in use in Britain could pose a fire risk

Up to 500,000 fridge freezers could be posing serious fire risks in homes and businesses across the country, the London Fire Brigade have warned.

Fire investigators said that a fire in the capital last month, see picture above, which was thought to have been caused by a lightning strike, was in fact caused by a faulty appliance manufactured by Beko.

In a statement, the brigade said that the blaze served as an urgent warning of the serious risks posed by up to 500,000 faulty fridge freezers in homes and businesses across the country.

There are believed to have been 20 fires in the capital alone involving the fridge freezers since 2008. These fires have seen 15 people injured and one person die.

Steve Turek, assistant commissioner for fire safety regulation, said: "Any fire can be lethal but the London Fire Brigade is particularly concerned about this because fires involving any sort of fridge freezer develop rapidly and produce an enormous amount of toxic smoke.

"Expert fire investigators have had to work for a long time to confidently establish these faulty fridge freezers as the cause of a number of serious fires. Having established this link, we have worked closely with Beko to ensure the public is kept safe. However, the brigade urges everyone who has a Beko fridge freezer to check it is not one of those highlighted by the company as potentially faulty. I would also urge everyone to make sure they have a working smoke alarm in their house."

Over the last three years the brigade's fire investigation team has been working to establish the link between a faulty defroster timer switch on the appliances and a number of house fires.

The problem occurs when water gets into the defrost timer switch in the fridge freezer, which can lead to an electrical malfunction resulting in plastic components and other highly flammable insulation inside the appliance catching fire.

The brigade formally alerted Beko to the problem in June 2010 and the manufacturer has now begun trying to locate the products so that the fault can be corrected. However, the brigade believes more needs to be done to alert people to the potential danger, the statement said.

A Beko spokesman said: "Since becoming aware of the issue, Beko has been working closely with the London Fire Brigade and Trading Standards to identify the issue and the best method of reaching all affected consumers and arranging a modification. We have contacted all retailers who sold these products to seek their help in identifying affected customers from their sales records. This has allowed us to mail these customers to make them aware of the issue and to urge them to contact our freephone number to arrange the modification."

People who own models manufactured between January 2000 and October 2006 have been advised to check on the trading standards website to see if their appliance is affected.

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KTS - Now in the West Country

We are pleased to announce that customers throughout Swindon area and parts of the West country can now be served by Kingsmead Testing Services! Broadly the areas covered would be a 30 mile radius of Calne, Wiltshire, which would include Bristol and Swindon areas.

Mr Bob Burns can visit potential clients prior to quoting and offer a free estimate and discussion regarding your requirements for PAT testing. we are pleased to welcome him on board!! Bob is a very experienced and genial chap, and we always stress that our aim is to provide a quality service at fair and reasonable cost. Please contact our office on 01628 850650 for a quotation or visit.

How to Avoid being a Shocking Landlord!

According to government statistics released last month almost a fifth of all fires in UK homes are caused by electrical faults. In 2008 this resulted in 27 deaths and over 1000 injuries. In addition to the risk of house fires almost 14,000 people are injured each year by electrical appliances according to the latest government estimates.

As the number of portable electrical appliances in furnished rented properties continues to increase, from cookers, to TV’s, to stereos and games consoles, PAT testing or portable appliance testing is becoming an increasingly important part of a landlords responsibility to ensure their properties are safe and fit for purpose.

Under UK law without regular PAT tests a landlord could be found to have failed to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their tenants, and leave themselves liable to fines, imprisonment and invalidation of their property insurance.

Phil Buckle, director general of the Electrical Safety Council comments;

“It is vital that landlords understand their legal obligations when it comes to electrical safety in their rental properties. Landlords are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that appliances provided as part of the tenancy agreement are safe. Failure to do so can put tenants in danger and can result in prosecution.”

Portable appliance testing is more important than ever with the number of deaths caused by electrical faults at such a high level and more electrical appliances than ever in rented accommodation. Establishing a regular program of portable appliance testing not only gives landlords the peace of mind of knowing they have taken all the reasonable steps necessary to make sure any electrical equipment they are providing for tenants is safe, but it also ensures they comply with the law.

Although there is no statutory period for completing electrical safety inspections, best practice would see PAT testing on all appliances at change of tenancy and after that on an annual basis.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS…..

Although the legislation isn’t as explicit as the Gas Safety (installations and Use) regulations 1998 which place unambiguous requirements on landlords to ensure the safe operation of gas appliances under their control, there are a number of laws which cover the area of electrical appliances.

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994, mandatory since 1 January 1997, which state that all electrical appliances supplied with let accommodation must be safe.

The Consumer Protection Act 1987 affects all persons who let property in the course of their business, defining them as “suppliers”, supplying goods to the tenant.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which now also covers “self employed persons” and “all persons affected by their operations”. This has implications for landlords who appear to fall within the definition of a self employed person as being “an individual who works for gain or reward otherwise than under a contract of employment.”

These mean that under the law, a landlord has duties both as a ‘supplier of goods’ and as the ‘person responsible’ for an electrical installation. As the supplier of goods, the landlord has to ensure all goods are checked before the tenant takes them over and as a ‘person responsible’ needs to ensure an adequate system of maintenance.

Please call us on 01628 850650 for any further information.

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