Electrical Safety First comments on confirmed origin of Grenfell Tower fire

Responding to police confirmation that the Grenfell Tower tragedy was caused by a faulty Hotpoint fridge freezer, the Chief Executive of Electrical Safety First, Phil Buckle, commented:

“While investigations continue into why this tragic fire spread so quickly, we know that fridge freezers –  along with other large white goods – cause a significant number of fires in UK homes. Data provided by fire services in England, gathered over the past six years, show four fires a week, on average, are caused by faulty fridge freezers.

“We note that Hotpoint is taking urgent action to address consumer safety concerns and has committed itself to assisting the authorities in any way they can. However, it seems the fridge freezer in question has not been subject to a product recall – although these generally have a limited success rate in terms of engaging the end-consumer. The effectiveness of a recall can be as low as 10%-20%”.

Electrical Safety First has campaigned extensively to raise awareness of the need for an improved product registration process – to make it simple for consumers to register their electrical appliances and ensure manufacturers can advise of any potential safety risks.

“As members of the government’s Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety, we contributed to the government website, Product Recall, which has just launched today. It advises anyone who owns a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP (white) or FF175BG (grey) to call Whirlpool’s freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826. Or visit www.hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer to register their details for further updates.

Fire statistics for England are accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics-great-britain

–          1598 fridge freezer fires from 2010- 2016

–          308 out of 1598 (19.27%) fridge freezer fires were in flats since 2010

–          283 fatalities/casualties because of fridge/freezer fires since 2010

–          1476 fridge freezer fires since 2010 were caused by faulty appliances