Consumer organisation Which? has revealed which home appliances have cause the most home fires in the past few years.
The organisations says that washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers are the biggest threat when it comes to potential fires at the home.
Based on government data obtained by Which?, household appliances were the cause for 12,000 fires in the period January 2011 to March 2014. Comparing the figures to information they had on various brands, Which? discovered that some appliances are more likely to catch fire than others.
175 Hoover washing machines caught fire – 12 per cent of the total number of washing machine fires in which the brand was recorded. We think that Hoover’s market share is probably smaller than 12 per cent – and that its number of washing machine fires is disproportionately high.
Hotpoint – one of the largest appliance brands – accounted for 34 per cent (349) of the tumble dryer fires recorded and 38 per cent (410) of dishwasher fires – again this relates to fires in which the brand was recorded. While it’s possible that Hotpoint accounts for as much as a third of the tumble dryer market, its share of the dishwasher market is likely to be less than 38 per cent, suggesting that the number of Hotpoint dishwasher fires is higher than expected.
Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that the products we buy are safe and, where a problem is found, to take steps to address the risk. If an appliance is found to be dangerous, manufacturers issue a safety notice to alert owners, but knowing who owns their products can prove problematic.
Hotpoint and Indesit estimate that 279,000 of the dishwashers they have recalled have not been repaired and could potentially still be in peoples’ homes – it has fixed 76,387 so far.
Research carried out by Electrical Safety First (ESF) has found that only around a third of UK consumers register appliances. The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) has launched a website (registermyappliance.org.uk) where you can register appliances for around 85 per cent of UK brands. Which? said it welcomes this scheme, but feels that a key barrier to registration is consumers’ concern that personal details could be used for marketing purposes.
The organisation registered 10 fridge-freezers and found that six out of 10 brands required those registering to opt-out of any marketing from the manufacturer, and five of these also required users to opt out of receiving marketing from third parties.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said:
“It’s shocking that everyday household appliances can pose such a danger. More needs to be done to protect consumers from this risk and it’s crucial that products known to be dangerous are recalled as quickly as possible.”
“Owners should also be reassured they can register their appliance without inadvertently signing up for marketing. We want fire data to be monitored and shared with manufacturers and local authorities, allowing them to act quickly in the event of a recall. Our findings will be submitted to the Government’s product recall review currently underway and we look forward to hearing its recommendations.”
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