The study has been compiled by property compliance specialists, VeriSmart, and it considers which are the most dangerous appliances in the home when it comes to the threat of fire. The data is drawn from the U.K., and it additionally examines where in the U.K. the greater proportion of accidents occur; although with the types of appliances, the risks are global.
The research finds that, with specific appliances: cookers, oven rings and grills and toasters are the most dangerous appliances when it comes to the number of accidents they account for as a percentage of total accidents caused by household appliances (accounting for 54 percent of all appliance related fires). The data source was drawn from U.K. Government statistics, which lists accidents attributed to fires caused by domestic appliances.
Other appliances of concern were oven rings, which accounted for 10 percent of appliances, along with the grill and toaster, while the microwave (at 6 percent), and tumble dryer (coming in at 4 percent). These appliances constituted the top five electrical appliances of concern. Other appliances with reported issues are: washing machines, dishwashers, deep fat fryers, other cooking appliances, and fridges and freezers.
Furthermore, some types of properties are data greater risk than others, with the private rental sector standing out. VeriSmart’s research finds that 40 percent of all rental properties they inspected were without a working smoke alarm.
In terms of areas with in the U.K., the study results indicate that the East Riding of Yorkshire is home to the largest number of accidents caused by household appliances when considering the population and the ratio of accidents per capita. Conversely, Warwickshire is the safest place with the lowest number of household appliance related accidents per capita.
In terms of risk mitigtaiton, VeriSmart’s founder Jonathan Senior tells Digital Journal about the importance of smoke alarms, stating it is “prudent to ensure that a home is equipped with sufficient working smoke detectors on each floor of living space as legislation states and they must be optimally sited on ceilings central to a room and regularly tested to ensure they respond.”
