The product recall system in the UK is not working, with faulty recalled appliances responsible for significant numbers of domestic fires and a number of tragic fatalities.
In the UK, the response rate to an electrical product recall is worryingly low, despite the huge risks of electrical shock, fire or even death that faulty electrical items can present. This is largely due to people failing to register their appliances and means that there are potentially millions of recalled electrical items in UK homes.
With electrical faults and accidents causing more than half of all house fires every year, resulting in at least one death every week in the UK, we believe that a concerted effort to improve the recall system in the UK can play a major role in improving home safety.
The customer has a key part to play in the recall process.
Nearly two million adults have knowingly ignored an electrical recall notice, with reasons including inconvenience, an unwillingness to go without a “luxury” product and an underestimation of the risk of continuing to use the product.
There is also a reluctance to register products, as people do not know how to do it, do not realise the importance of registration and fail to get round to it and also do not want to hand over their personal data in case it is used for marketing purposes.
Alexa Skills and Google Nest
To make it easier for people to check the electrical products in their homes, we have developed an app, available on Alexa and Google, that allows them to ask a few simple questions to find out whether any have been subject to a recall.
Electrical Safety First is calling on everybody to:
Register all new electrical appliances
Visit our Product Registration page find information on how to register all of your electrical products. You will need the brand name, model, serial number and purchase date and the registration process is very simple to follow. The manufacturer will only contact you in the event of a recall, your details will NOT be used for marketing.
Check that appliances have not been recalled
Electrical Safety First offers an online product checker that allows you to search through all of the electrical products that have been recalled since 2007. You can search by brand, product category, year or enter your own search. Each recall notice includes advice on what to do next, with contact details for the manufacturers if available. If you have searched for a product that you own and it is not listed, this means that it has not been recalled and should be safe to use. However, if you do have concerns about its safety, contact the retailer or manufacturer to alert them to a potential problem.
Product Recalls
Has your electrical item been recalled? Check today.
Take Action!
If you find that a product you own has been recalled, stop using it immediately and contact the manufacturer. The majority of recalled electrical products present a risk of electrical fire or shock, so continuing to use them is not worth the risk.