This year, Electrical Safety First’s coveted Safety Innovation Award was won by Connected Innovations for its complex and innovative socket outlet, backed by a core safety and communications system, which monitors a range of external factors, and can ultimately prevent the risk of overheating that could otherwise lead to a fire.
The product was invented by the founder of Connected Innovations, Anthony Parfitt, who has over 30 years of experience developing life-critical safety solutions for the Home Office, Police and Network Rail.
Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First, said: “Connected Innovations entry was the judges unanimous choice of award winner. We believe the company has developed a product and system which could make a major contribution to reducing electrical fires and would be a significant safety protection measure if established in tower blocks. We developed this award to recognise businesses who put safety at the heart of their work, while incorporating sustainability and innovation, and Connected Technologies certainly ticked all the boxes.”
Anthony Parfitt, CEO and Founder of Connected Innovations said: “ We are delighted to receive the award. This is the result of so much hard work which was inspired by the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire. Too many lives are lost to preventable electrical fires and Ci technologies can help prevent these tragedies from happening again. Electricity is the leading cause of fires in homes; more than half of electrical fires start in the wiring, plug or socket, when heat is released from loose connections or electrical arcing, causing them to ignite if not addressed. With our patented smart devices linked via the Internet of Things, we aim to elevate the humble electrical socket to the front line in the fight against devastating electrical fires.”
Pictured above: Andrew Kelly, Chief Operating Officer, Connected Innovations being presented with the award by Maarten van der Dussen, Managing Director of Product IP, the award sponsors.
Connected Innovations sockets detect heat build-up in the plugs and nearby wiring and turn the appliance off, stopping the fire risk before it starts. The same patented technology can be deployed by Connected Innovations within the appliances themselves, working with the appliance manufacturers, helping to prevent the more than 5,000 appliance malfunction fires each year in the UK.
The award, which was announced at the charity’s annual product safety conference, was presented by Maarten van der Dussen, Managing Director of Product IP, the award sponsors.