Would you know if one of your appliances was unsafe?
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging residents to register their appliances online to be made aware of any safety recalls.
As part of the national Register My Appliance week, the Service is encouraging people to take stock of their appliances and register them online to be the first to hear about any safety recalls from the manufacturer.
You can register a range of appliances big and small and they don't have to be brand new either. If you've bought a second hand appliance or you've inherited one, you can register it online if it's under 12-years-old. You don't need proof of purchase either.
Registermyappliance.org.uk provides free and easy access to 60 leading brands sold in the UK.
In 2022, there were around 250 fires in Essex believed to be caused by faulty appliances. The most common culprits were overs, toasters, tumble dryers, washing machines and fridges. Appliances that many people use everyday.
Will Newman, Head of Prevention at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service says: “Lots of people register for warranties and alerts on brand new items but not many people know you can also register older and secondhand appliances too.
“Many more people are thinking about buying second hand appliances to cut costs. Some will also be installing products preloved by another family member or maybe adopting a machine already connected when they moved into a new place. You can still register these appliance, it’s easy and free. Registering these appliances means the manufacturer knows where to find it in case of a safety repair or recall. It’s also good for anybody in rented or housing association accommodation. In just a few minutes, you can have peace of mind knowing you’re registered, it could save your life and it might even extend the life of the appliance.”
A recent survey, conducted for AMDEA for Register My Appliance Week (23-27 January), showed a significant surge in people thinking about buying a second-hand large domestic appliance, due to the current increasing cost-of-living. Now one in four (25%) of people say they are likely to consider buying a second-hand appliance online, compared to just one in six (16%) four years ago.
While recalls on appliances are rare and faults can normally be fixed quickly, it’s important to register your appliances so that manufacturers can make contact if a fault is identified. Using a faulty appliance can cause devastating fires.
Just before Christmas, crews were called to a tumble dryer fire in Braintree after the resident was woken up be her smoke alarms.
The residents were able to safely escape the house and call us but the tumble dryer fire left the kitchen badly damaged. The make and model of the tumble dryer were noted, and the fire was reported to the manufacturer.
Head over to registermyappliance.org.uk to register your devices today.