Misused Appliances Causing Fires

Research by the electrical safety council has found that a rise in fires in the home is being caused by electrical appliances being misused and in fact, this misuse of appliances is the biggest cause of fires in the home in the UK.

It seems that people are committing serious safety risks without realising the danger.

Amongst the mistakes being made, the following are the most common:

• Using microwaves as a surface and blocking air vents.
• Leaving tumble dryers on unattended and overnight.
• Blocking air vents on fridge freezers through a lack of cleaning behind
• Overloading extension and adaptor leads causing high temperatures
• Leaving electrical equipment on unattended and then smelling burning from the appliance

ESC reported that three quarters of adults have committed one of the above mistakes and believe that this high number is due to a serious lack of understanding of the danger they are actually in when committing one of these mistakes.

House fires in the UK have actually decreased overall, but fires which are caused by the misuse of appliances has actually risen by more than a third between 2009 and the present. This type of fire actually kills 22 people every year and seriously injures 2,500.

To help tackle the issue the ESC have come up with a Fire Blunders game on Facebook which aims to identify mistakes and improve safety. Plus, they have also created a free, downloadable app called the Home Electrical Safety Check where people can check their homes for safety.

Help the ESC with their campaign, make your clients aware of the electrical safety mistakes they could be making without realising they are actually putting themselves in danger.

Written by Sara Thomson