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:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile investigations continue into why this tragic fire spread so quickly, we know that fridge freezers –\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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 \u2013 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%\u201d.<\/p>\n
Electrical Safety First has campaigned extensively to raise awareness of the need for an improved product registration process \u2013 to make it simple for consumers to register their electrical appliances and ensure manufacturers can advise of any potential safety risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs members of the government\u2019s Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety, we contributed to the government website, Product Recall<\/a>, which has just launched today. It advises anyone who owns a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP (white) or FF175BG (grey) to call Whirlpool\u2019s freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826. Or visit\u00a0www.hotpointservice.co.uk\/fridgefreezer<\/a>\u00a0to register their details for further updates.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n