PAT Testing News Round-Up - Issue 47

• Study reveals home appliances most likely to catch fire
• Apollo 600 more than just a PAT tester
• MPs briefing on electrical safety
• Calibration service expansion

Study reveals home appliances most likely to catch fire

A recent Which? investigation has found that thousands of faulty appliances catch fire, and that it's possible that some brands are more prone to catching fire than others.

Which? submitted a Freedom of Information request to government and discovered that nearly 12,000 fires were caused by faulty home products between 2011 and March 2014. Our research discovered that more faulty washing machines and tumble dryers caught fire than TVs or irons.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: ‘It’s shocking that some everyday household appliances can pose such a danger - washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers are often the appliances we leave on overnight or as we leave our house.

‘More needs to be done to protect consumers from this risk and it’s crucial that products known to be dangerous are recalled as quickly as possible.’

The data in the Which? survey is based on government figures for domestic fire incidents in Great Britain attended by fire and rescue services. It relates to 11,965 instances of appliances that were faulty, incorrectly installed or improperly maintained. Full details at www.which.co.uk

Apollo 600 more than just a PAT tester

Seaward has created a series of videos to demonstrate just how useful the onboard digital camera incorporated in the Apollo 600 can be.

The series of short videos highlight ten different situations where a PAT tester with a camera can make a real difference to working more efficiently and provide an added value electrical appliance safety testing service.

Included among the early examples in the series are the role of the camera in identifying appliances with links to asset IDs, the importance of showing evidence of visual inspections and of repairs, and how the camera can help to record any reasons why testing might not have been possible.

The series of short, informative films on these matters are available here, and more details about the Apollo 600 are available at www.seaward.co.uk

MPs briefing on electrical safety

The 182 new MPs who have recently entered Parliament might well be shocked at the briefing they have just received from Electrical Safety First.

The Charity, which is dedicated to reducing deaths and accidents caused by electricity, has written to the ‘class of 2015’ to explain why electrical safety needs to be urgently addressed.

“The Government’s fire statistics show that, while domestic fires in general are decreasing, the percentage of fires arising from electricity still accounts for over half of all fires in the home – that’s more than 20,000 each year”, explains Phil Buckle, Director-General of Electrical Safety First.

“We have been campaigning long and hard for better regulation of electrical safety in the private rented sector, where a third of properties fail to meet basic standards. And with most electrical fires arising from electrical products, we are also lobbying to improve product safety legislation around the recall of dangerous products.

“One recent survey we undertook showed that 47% of our respondents had never seen a recall notice and research suggests that there are millions of recalled – and therefore potentially dangerous - electrical items still in people’s homes.”

Electrical Safety First has also highlighted the need for particular safety legislation to cover the increasing number of older people who wish to stay in their own homes. Its report, A Shock to the System: Electrical Safety in an Ageing Society, found that older adults are often disproportionately at risk from electrical hazards and around one million people aged over 75 currently live in non-decent homes.

“We hope that by contacting the new intake of MPs now, we can get their support for the regulations we believe can save lives and protect properties” adds Phil Buckle.

Calibration service expansion

A specialist UKAS accredited calibration service for electrical and electronic test and measurement equipment has expanded its operations to meet growing demand.

Calibrationhouse has invested in extended workshop facilities and new test technology, as well as recruiting additional service and calibration engineers at its County Durham headquarters.

As well as portable appliance testers (PATs), calibration services also include multimeters, 17th edition test equipment, high voltage test equipment, production line testers, oscilloscopes and high spec electronic instrumentation.

The Calibrationhouse advanced technology workshop service is also complemented by the availability of a national team of highly trained and qualified engineers providing specialist UKAS calibration services at customer premises.

Calibrationhouse is accredited to ISO9001:2008 and ISO17025:2005‚ with service, calibration and repairs of all types of electronic equipment being undertaken with assured traceability to national UKAS standards.

Further details from info@calibrationhouse.com or at or at www.calibrationhouse.com

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