All too often we visit peoples homes and business premises only to be horrified at what we find, as shown below on average 4 people a day are killed in the UK by electrical fires, many of which could have been prevented simply by installing an RCD (Residual Current Device) in to the Consumer unit (Fuse Board). An average RCD cost around just £15 – £20, a small price to pay to ensure your family or business premises are safe and sound!
Statistics from www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk
Deaths, Injuries and Fires
1. Fatalities and injuries caused by electrical fires (2015/16 figures)
- 1380 fatalities and injuries caused by electrical fires
- Average of 27 a week and 4 a day
- Cookers and ovens were the leading cause of electrical related fatalities and injuries (679)
2. Number of fires of electrical origin in England in 2015/16 (with methodology applied):
- 15,432 fires caused by electricity (out of a total of 28,350 fires)
- 54.4% of fires in England were caused by electricity
- Misuse of equipment or appliance was the largest cause
- Of those 15,432 fires:
- 80.5% were caused by appliances and products (12,424) (excludes unspecified in the raw dataset)
- 18.9% were caused by electrical distribution (2,920)
3. Major products involved in electrical fires in 2015/16:
- Cooking appliances were the highest cause of fires in England in 2015/16 at 8,759
- A DTI report estimates that 20% of electrical fires could be prevented by the presence of an RCD
If you’d like to learn more about RCD’s check out our blog giving you all the details here