As a result of successfully bidding for grant funding from the Office of Product Safety Standards (OPSS) the Public Protection Partnership was able to offer residents of Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham free electric blanket and portable heater testing.
The testing events, which were undertaken in partnership with the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, took place over three consecutive days in October 2023, at a central location within each of the three areas.
Over the three days a total of 51 electric blankets were tested. Of these 51, 18 (35%) failed. The main reason for the failures was due to the heating elements within the blanket coming loose and collecting in one area of the blanket which is a potential fire risk. Around 43 fires a year are caused by faulty electric blankets in the home. They should be stored flat, rolled up or loosely folded to prevent damaging the internal wiring,
Ten portable heaters were also tested over the three days with only 1 failure. The heater that failed was 37 years old. Heaters cause around three fires a day in England. They should be kept away from furniture and curtains and should not be used for drying clothes.
Councillor Lee Dillon, Chairman of the Joint Public Protection Committee, said ‘Consumer Protection is a priority area for the Public Protection Partnership. Wear and tear on these products is inevitable and faulty blankets pose a significant fire risk. It is good to see that residents have made good use of the opportunity to have these items tested. We look forward to building on the success of this work in the future.”
Alongside the testing, residents were given advice and literature on how to keep themselves safe when using an electric blanket or portable heater at home and how to check for themselves if the item had any faults which could make it unsafe to use.
Residents were also provided with information from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service about how they could receive a free ‘Safe and Well’ visit at their homes.
For more information please contact tsadvice@westberks.gov.uk tel 01635 519930
