Electrical Incidents in the media – August to November 2016
In addition to official statistics, Electrical Safety First also collects media clippings relating to fires caused by items of electrical equipment.
Whilst these may not be as accurate as the official statistics, they offer an indication of current trends and are available much sooner than other statistical sets, which often take a year or more to become available. Additionally, the news clippings can often contain a level of detail absent from the official statistics, such as the appliance brand and how exactly the incident occurred.
However it should be noted that the official figures are likely to be substantially higher as not all incidents are reported. Of note is the absence of clippings relating to electrical shocks, which are much less visible than fire incidents and so remain underreported.
The number of recorded incidents from the 1st of August until the 30th of November is 193 – approximately 48 per month.
Breakdown of most common causes of fires from the news clippings:
Tumble Dryers: 72
Washing Machines: 40
Dishwashers: 19
Fridge Freezers: 13
Chargers: 13
Electrical fault (installation): 8
Electric blanket: 7
Other: 21
As previously, white goods were responsible for a significant proportion of the incidents over this period – just under 75% of all recorded incidents. This is not unexpected as these products are typically either constantly left on, as in the case of fridge freezers, or receive a much higher level of usage than other appliances.