Serious about safety?

January 16 is ‘Register My Appliance Day’ and firefighters are asking everyone to improve their home safety by taking a few minutes to register the household appliances that they rely on every day.

As part of the Fire Kills campaign, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is backing this campaign to ensure that residents can be contacted swiftly if a safety repair is ever needed.

As a bonus, to tempt owners to register their January sale bargains or the thousands of older models already running in their homes, many of the 65 appliance brands featured on www.registermyappliance.org.uk are offering to enter registrants into free draws for a range of desirable prizes.

With registrations growing month on month and with around half of users accessing www.registermyappliance.org.uk via handheld devices, a streamlined version of the website was recently launched to make it easy to access and register through smartphones.

The latest YouGov survey for the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) has found that less than half (43%) of British adults usually  register their large domestic appliances with the manufacturer.  Of those that don’t always register, 39% said this was because they forgot and 29% 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 10 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% 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.

Nick Evans, Head of Prevention at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, urges the public to register any recent purchases and not to forget about their older appliances. He 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.

“The Register My Appliance portal is quick and easy to use and, 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.”

On Register My Appliance Day manufacturers are sending reminders to millions of 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