2023
HobSensus was the Safety Innovation Award winner 2023. HobSensus makes kitchens safer by ensuring hobs are not left switched on and alerts residents to potential fires.
HobSensus is a safety device that turns hobs off when left unattended. It is particularly useful for student accommodation (2022/23 saw a five-year high for electrical fires in student halls of residence), communal kitchens, and people living in sheltered or assisted-living property.
Designed by Prefect Controls Limited, the device uses an integrated timer and a 64-zone sensor which reads temperatures across the hob, identifying hot spots with pinpoint accuracy. This enables the unit to react before flashpoints are reached.
Users simply press the red button to activate the unit and start the timer. When the time elapses, the hob is switched off. But if the temperature on the hob approaches 280°C, the unit flashes and emits an audible alarm. If no action is taken the power is shut off.
As the award winner, Prefect Controls Limited had the chance to present HobSensus at the 2023 Electrical Product Safety Conference on 16 November to an audience of more than 200 manufacturers, retailers, importers, product testing houses, safety advocates, and lawyers, as well as government and enforcement bodies.
In addition to the award winner, the Highly Commended entry for 2023 went to South Tyneside Homes for its Post Occupancy Electrical Safety Check initiative, which educates tenants on electrical safety risks.
This improves awareness of how tenants can keep themselves and their families safe in their homes over the short and long-term. And it offers protection by reducing issues of disrepair, electrical faults, electrical fires, and overspending of budgets.
2021
Aico was the winner of the Safety Innovation Award at the Electrical Product Safety Conference 2021 for their product; the SmartLINK Gateway.
This product was designed to act as a gateway between the data that smoke and fire alarms hold and a cloud portal. This allows for homeowners and landlords to stay more up to date with the status of their alarm systems giving them increased confidence in the safety and maintenance of their alarms.
To find out more about the product, check out our interview with Aico here:
For more information about the SmartLINK Gateway, visit https://www.aico.co.uk/product/ei1000g-smartlink-gateway/
Runners up:
Sami Gabriel
SAO Limited
2020
E-Bulb is the smallest fire extinguisher in the world. It can be placed directly at source of origin of the fire – on an electrical circuit board / power adapter or potential hot spot - of almost any consumer appliance. In case of a starting fire, the E-Bulb detects the fire, reliably extinguishes it, and cuts power to prevent re-ignition.
To find out more about the product, check out E-Bulb's explanation video here:
Runners up:
Safe Connect
Smarter Utility Ltd
Click here to submit your application for this year's Safety Innovation award.