Electrical Safety First launch new Alexa app to help reduce UK electrical fires

Electrical Safety First has launched a brand new Alexa app in order to help dramatically slash the number of electrical fires in UK homes.

Using voice technology to easily access information on product recalls, consumers can effortlessly discover if they have a recalled electrical item – simply by giving Alexa the item’s brand name.

Currently, product recalls achieve a success rate of just 10-20%, leaving a host of potentially unsafe electricals items still in use and presenting a significant risk of fire. In fact, research by the Charity indicates almost 270 million unregistered electrical products are still in UK homes.

As only those consumers who register an item can be easily contacted in the case of a product recall, this means that there is a significant proportion of the population who won’t know if one of their appliances is a safety risk. Electrical Safety First’s new Alexa app aims to boost those recall rates, preventing electrical fires caused by faulty devices.

“Electricity is responsible for over half of all UK domestic fires”, explains Emma Drackford, Director of Communications for Electrical Safety First. “In 2017, almost 5,000 fires were caused by faulty electrical appliances and leads, including recalled items – the equivalent of 13 fires per day across the UK.

“We are committed to using every advantage provided by new technology to reduce this risk. We hope that by launching the Alexa app, people will use it to make ad-hoc checks while doing chores around the house, without having to open a website. It’s all about removing barriers and giving our audience the tools they need to use their electrical products more safely.”

Electrical Safety First worked with Manchester-based, digital agency Absurd, to develop and build the app.

For more information please visit: www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk