Register My Appliance Day
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging residents to make their homes safer by taking part in Register My Appliance Day this Thursday (January 19). The call comes as latest statistics show that Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service received 119 calls attributed to faulty appliances or equipment in 2016. Appliance manufacturers are reminding their customers that they can instantly improve their home safety by taking a few minutes to register the white goods that they rely on every day, have never registered, and completely forget they own.
“Remembering to register household appliances is a vital part of keeping one’s home and family safe. These products are the workhorses of the home, often running daily and for many years, but it is all too easy to forget about them. Getting into the habit of spending a few minutes on www.registermyappliance.org.uk guarantees the household will receive any relevant safety messages from the manufacturer and they should respond immediately. This simple admin task should become second nature to anyone who is serious about home safety.”
Community Safety Lead James Russell
As part of the Fire Kills campaign, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is backing this sensible and simple precaution, to ensure that householders can be contacted swiftly if a safety repair is ever needed.
Those who register their January sale bargains or the thousands of older models already running in their homes, will be entered into a free draw for a range of prizes from many of the 60 leading brands on www.registermyappliance.org.uk
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The latest YouGov survey for the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) has found that less than half (43 per cent) of British adults usually register their large domestic appliances with the manufacturer. Of those that don’t always register, 39 per cent said this was because they forgot and 29 per cent didn’t think it was necessary. Potentially they all risk missing out on product safety warnings.
According to recent official estimates, UK homes are currently using around 93 million (92.7m.) wet and dry large appliances. They are kept for ten or many more years yet, unlike cars, the vast majority are untraceable and have never had a health check.
The YouGov survey also revealed that 70 per cent of GB adults with a fridge or fridge freezer over ten years old have never had a professional review or check to verify if they are safely connected or running correctly.
The Service urges the public to register any recent purchases and not to forget about their older appliances:
Community Safety Lead James Russell said: “Remembering to register household appliances is a vital part of keeping one’s home and family safe. These products are the workhorses of the home, often running daily and for many years, but it is all too easy to forget about them. Getting into the habit of spending a few minutes on www.registermyappliance.org.uk guarantees the household will receive any relevant safety messages from the manufacturer and they should respond immediately. This simple admin task should become second nature to anyone who is serious about home safety.
“It only takes a few minutes to register an appliance at it could save so much time and money in the long run if one their items does have a safety concern.”
On Register My Appliance Day manufacturers are sending reminders to over 4 million consumers. With supporters including RoSPA, Trading Standards, Citizens Advice, Electrical Safety First and the National Landlords Association using both regional press and social media to promote registration on www.registermyappliance.org.uk
Story via – Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Duncan is a technology professional with over 20 years experience of working in various IT roles. He has a interest in cyber security, and has a wide range of other skills in radio, electronics and telecommunications.