Householders are being strongly urged to register electrical appliances by fire safety experts.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service says people who register new and old appliances with the relevant manufacturer will greatly reduce the risk of a fire in their home.
A national campaign aimed at encouraging people to register their electrical appliances is launched on Wednesday, February 1. According to figures released as part of the campaign, thousands of consumers are still missing out on product safety warnings because they are not registering their fridges, freezers, toasters and washing machines.
“There are more than 100 million large appliances in use in our homes and we keep them a very long time, but less than a quarter (23%) of consumers always register their appliances. This leaves the vast majority untraceable if a safety action or product recall is issued,” a SFRS spokesperson said.
SFRS is urging consumers to register their new and used appliances by logging onto the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) website - www.registermyappliance.org.uk - where they will find registration pages for 62 leading brands.
SFRS’s Prevention Manager, Rabinder Dhami, said the public should register all their appliances, including the older ones. In Shropshire last year there were 27 house fires caused by faulty electrical appliances.
“Everyone should put registering appliances at the top of their to-do list. Most manufacturers offer registration of large white goods that are up to 12 years old and a visit to the registration website to key in details of old and new appliances is time well spent. Registering an appliance could save your life or your family’s lives,” Mr Dhami said.
The registermyappliance portal also provides valuable advice on correct maintenance, safe usage and installation, product standards and testing, guarantees and warranties, consumer rights, a product recall listing and the AMDEA Code of Practice on Product Safety.
Note
AMDEA http://www.amdea.org.uk is the UK trade association for manufacturers of large and small domestic appliances; representing over 85% of the domestic appliance industry and nearly 90% of white goods brands. Members’ products include most of the UK’s top selling brands of major white goods, other large and small kitchen appliances, heating, water heating, floor care, waste disposal and ventilation equipment
