Electrical safety

Hey Alexa, Find me Electrical Safety Product Recalls

gazza — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 14:31:31 +0000

Hey Alexa, Find me Electrical Safety Product Recalls gazza Wed, 29/01/2020

Leading consumer protection charity, Electrical Safety First, has launched a new Alexa app, to help slash the number of electrical fires in UK homes.

Using voice technology to easily access information on product recalls, consumers can effortlessly discover if they have a recalled electrical item - simply by giving Alexa the item’s brand name.

Currently, product recalls achieve a success rate of just 10-20%, leaving a host of potentially unsafe electricals items still in use and presenting a significant risk of fire. In fact, research by the Charity indicates almost 270 million unregistered electrical products are still in UK homes[1]. As only those consumers who register an item can be easily contacted in the case of a product recall, this means that there is a significant proportion of the population who won’t know if one of their appliances is a safety risk. Electrical Safety First’s new Alexa app aims to boost those recall rates, preventing electrical fires caused by faulty devices.

“Electricity is responsible for over half of all UK domestic fires”, explains Emma Drackford, Director of Communications for Electrical Safety First. “In 2017, almost 5,000 fires[2] were caused by faulty electrical appliances and leads, including recalled items - the equivalent of 13 fires per day across the UK[3].

“We are committed to using every advantage provided by new technology to reduce this risk. We hope that by launching the Alexa app, people will use it to make ad-hoc checks while doing chores around the house, without having to open a website. It’s all about removing barriers and giving our audience the tools they need to use their electrical products more safely.”

Electrical Safety First worked with Manchester-based, digital agency Absurd, to develop and build the app.

[1] Consumer research commissioned by Electrical Safety First and conducted by Censuswide surveying 5,000 people in the UK nationally representative of the population, found that respondents had an average of 9.86 unregistered electrical products in their home out of an average of 15.04 in total. This figure multiplied by the number of households in the UK according to ONS (27.2 million as of 2017) results in 267,648,000.

[2] 4,732 accidental domestic fires caused by faulty appliances and leads where the source of ignition was electric.
England: Figures from financial year 2016/17. Accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-dat…. Wales: StatsWales statistics on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services. Figures from financial year 2016/17. Accessible at:https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Community-Safety-and-Social-Incl… Scotland: Freedom of Information request sent to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, June 2016.

[3] 4,732 fires is the equivalent of 12.96 fires per day

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Electrical safety

Electrical Safety Week 18th to 25th November 2019

gazza — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 10:24:13 +0000

Electrical Safety Week 18th to 25th November 2019 gazza Tue, 19/11/2019

Each year, #ElectricalSafety First works with the Home Office to promote electrical fire safety in the home. Electrical Fire Safety Week runs from 18th to 25th November this year.

Over half of all accidental house fires are caused by electricity. And nine out of ten electrical fires are caused by electrical products.

During Electrical Fire Safety Week, Electrical Safety First work closely with Fire & Rescue Services across the UK to raise awareness of electrical fire risks and the simple steps that people can take to avoid a devastating fire in their homes.

Electrical Safety First campaigns offer general safety messages as well as focusing on areas in the home and specific types of product that offer a particular risk.

You can follow the campaign on Twitter using the hashtag #EFSW or on Facebook: #EFSW

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electrical safety week 2019

Electrical Safety First

Electrical safety

Product Safety Conference 2019

gazza — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 09:53:57 +0000

Product Safety Conference 2019 gazza Thu, 31/10/2019

Get ready for Electrical Safety First’s 11^th annual product safety conference, one of the major events in the industry calendar. This year’s theme is Think Like a Consumer – Behaviour-led insights for Safer Products, which will be held at Church House, Westminster, on Thursday 28th November.

The event attracts an extensive range of delegates from throughout the supply chain, in addition to key stakeholders and related organisations. These include representatives from government departments, manufacturers, retailers and importers, to lawyers, test houses and fire and rescue services - as well as Trading Standards and safety professionals.

It’s this broad-church approach which is part of event’s appeal - and the fact it brings to the forefront key and emerging issues impacting on the electrical retail industry and consumer safety. So, while the focus of this conference will be on the relationship between consumer behaviour and product safety, it will also be discussing the impact of Brexit and the mainstreaming of the smart home.

The keynote speech will be provided by the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Small Business, Kelly Tolhurst MP, with expert panels and speakers including Wendy Middleton, Behavioural Insights Lead for the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), along with representatives from Dyson, John Lewis, Dixons Carphone and Cooley LLP. The event will also play host to Electrical Safety First’s Safety Innovation Awards, developed by the Charity to acknowledge companies – or individuals – who put safety at the heart of product design, or go the extra mile in safety advocacy.

At the conclusion of the conference, delegates are invited to attend a drinks reception, hosted by the charity, where continuing debate and more informal opportunities for networking will be available. “This conference will investigate how understanding human behaviour can help improve the product design process, particularly in relation to safety and potential misuse - and help in improving reaction to product registration and recall response”, explains Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First.

“Today, we are in a period of intense change – technologically, politically and legislatively. Using behavioural insights to help create safer products, and encourage behaviour that reduces risk, is key to sustainable business and improved consumer protection”.

JOIN over 200 leading industry professionals from global retail brands, design, manufacture, import and distribution of electrical goods, lawyers, testing houses, safety experts and government bodies

LEARN from expert speakers looking at the latest advances and solutions in connected tech to behavioural insight and its impact on safety

SHARE ideas, findings, innovations and knowledge during lectures, panel discussions and breakout sessions

Book your place HERE

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