Collaborating for consumer safety electrical safety first advertorial


Regular readers of IER will already be familiar with Electrical Safety First - a campaigning charity dedicated to preventing deaths, injuries and damage caused by electricity


W


hile it focuses on promoting behavioural change through consumer campaigns, it


also lobbies government and other stakeholders to prioritise consumer protection, and works with industry to support best practice. Which is why, this year, it is sponsoring the IER Award for the Best Retailer Website. Here, Electrical Safety First chief executive Phil Buckle explains why its engagement with retailers and the industry is so important. At Electrical Safety First, we believe that we can best protect the consumer by working with the industry. We do this in many ways, from running product safety conferences, to consumer awareness campaigns emphasising the need to use trusted traders and by highlighting the rising problem of counterfeit goods and product safety generally. Many of you will know of – or will have


attended - our highly successful annual product safety conference. Now entering its seventh year, the event attracts senior representatives from throughout the electrical product supply chain, as well as government, legal services and consumer protection bodies.


The next conference will take place at the end of November and we’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date with the event through our regular column in IER. However, for something a little closer, put


a date in your diary for our next industry seminar. On Thursday, April 27, at Church House, Westminster, we will be looking at risk mitigation of lithium batteries and drones. Leading experts in product safety will discuss the safety issues of lithium-type batteries - which are used extensively in mobile phones, hoverboards, e-cigarettes, drones and home energy storage systems – and consider how to reduce hazards and ensure compliance with safety standards. Given their growing appeal, we decided to


dedicate the final part of the day just to the issue of drones. While these are fast becoming a must-have gadget for various professionals, such as photographers, they are increasingly regarded as a ‘fun’ item for the general public. However, as recent media stories make clear, they are also used for criminal activities and can pose a real threat to air passengers and other consumers. So it is timely that our panel will examine the risk that drones present


but particularly the electrical safety risks and current regulatory environment.


Tackling criminals and counterfeits Electrical Safety First has long been closely involved in developing the electrical product industry’s legislative landscape. Members of our electrotechnical department sit on a range of national and international regulatory and standards committees and we are also members of the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety. This body, which replaces the original Steering Group (established in response to Lynn Faulds Wood's Review of


Emotive campaigns can help communicate the risks of electrical faults in the home, which can cause irreparable damage and loss of life 12 | www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk March 2017


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