With almost three quarters of fires in Scotland caused by electricity, Scottish Conservative Lothian Region MSP, Jeremy Balfour, picked up some key safety tips from Electrical Safety First, at the recent Scottish Conservative Conference.
The 21st Century kid has far more electrical ‘gadgets’ than their parents did. But electricity causes over 3,640 fires in Scottish homes[1] – with more than two thirds arising from electrical products. And research by the charity, Electrical Safety First, has found that three in four children have a potential fire hazard in their room[2].
To get some advice and support in promoting this issue, Jeremy visited Electrical Safety First’s stand at the recent Scottish Conservative Party Conference in Glasgow. Offering a powerful visual illustration of the silent risks posed by electricity, it showed the range of dangers in a child’s bedroom that could endanger the whole family.
Among those highlighted were the risky locations for charging a product – such as leaving a tablet on the pillow, or laptop on a bed – where the heat produced by these devices can’t dissipate and can lead to fire. But the scene also indicated the dangers of other fire risks, such as an overloaded block adaptor or a fake phone charger.
“Electrical Safety First’s research found that children have, on average, 10 electrical items in their bedrooms, ranging from fairy lights to laptops – almost 25% more than their parents’ generation had in their rooms when growing up”, explains Jeremy Balfour MSP “It also discovered that over a quarter of all children have used or purchased a cheap, unbranded charger. These increase the chance of a fire, as counterfeits often omit key elements that can affect both the safety and functionality of the device.
“But it’s not just the kids who use a cheap, unbranded charger – the charity also found that 41% of parents admitted to using one! So the whole family needs to understand the dangers of electricity. It’s conservatively estimated that, where a person has been hospitalised due to an electrical fire, the cost to the Scottish taxpayer is £13[3] million each year. The personal devastation, however, is often incalculable.”
Electrical Safety First’s top tips for keeping the modern family safe include:
- Always charging an electrical device on a hard surface – and not on flammable material such as bedding. And avoid charging electrical devices overnight, when you won’t notice them overheating.
- Don’t drape clothes or towels over these items as they can block vents and cause overheating
- Avoid fake chargers – they can cause serious electric shock, injury or fire.
- Do check sockets, plugs and cables regularly, for signs of damage or scorching
- Don’t overload sockets – you can check using the Charity’s calculator here – or go to
www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guides-and-advice/electrical-items/overloading-sockets/
“We offer a range of tools and guides to help keep people safe in their own homes”, explains Wayne Mackay, of Electrical Safety First. “And ensuring MSPs can help their constituents understand the need for electrical safety – and the importance of using a properly registered electrician - is a key part of our work. We are also lobbying the Government for a commitment to reduce the number of fires in Scottish homes by 10%, which is particularly important given the number of counterfeit electrical items in the Scottish market.”
[1] Data provided by Scottish Fire and Rescue Services
[2] All statistics, unless otherwise stated, are from UK-wide research undertaken by Censuswide for Electrical Safety First, 24-29th June 2016.
[3] Figure calculated from the number of reported domestic electrical fires (2014-2015), multiplied by the average cost of a domestic dwelling fire (data derived from ‘The Economic Cost of Fire’ from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2004.