Holiday season has arrived, with UK householdersmaking 60 million trips a year as they desert their homes to jet off abroad. As families prepare to ‘get away from it all’ AMDEA (the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances) has teamed up with RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) to urge owners to register all their appliances and to take a few wise precautions before they go.
AMDEA’s new website www.registermyappliance.org.uk now provides access to the registration pages of over 60 leading brands of domestic appliances.
The incidence of safety recalls is low (between 6 -10 recalls a year) but, unlike cars, if manufacturers need to make safety adjustments they have no way of tracing the majority of affected models if they haven’t been registered, AMDEA notes.
Home safety is at the heart of this new initiative and since its launch in January ‘Register my appliance’ has been actively supported by RoSPA.
RoSPA public health advisor Sheila Merrill said: “To keep the home as safe as possible, whilst away, we advise turning off and unplugging all unnecessary appliances. We urge home owners to pay particular attention to small devices that they may forget to unplug in their mad dash to catch a flight. Charging devices for mobile phones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, in particular, should not be left unattended. And hair straighteners must be unplugged. For extra peace of mind, everyone should take this opportunity to register their appliances in order to receive any important recall notices.”
AMDEA has compiled a checklist of things to keep in mind before heading off on holiday…
· Register all your domestic appliances www.registermyappliance.org.uk.
· Check safety repair and recall list http://www.registermyappliance.org.uk/products/recall-list/ in the rare instance that a fault has been identified in one of your appliances.
· Check your smoke alarms are working.
· Ensure nearby family or friend keeps an eye on your house and has a spare set of keys.
· Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical appliances (especially washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers) and IT equipment.
· Leave the door of your washing machine open to help moisture escape and to prevent damp.
· Be sure to keep the back of your fridge clear from debris such as paper, tea towels or bags.
· Make sure extension leads are not overloaded.
· Empty all rubbish bins and ashtrays.
· Close all internal doors.
