Following a recent review of cold-appliance safety, Which? has written to manufacturers to urge them to stop using non-flame retardant plastic backing on fridges, freezers and fridge freezers, which it warns could create a fire risk in people’s homes due to the potential to accelerate the spread of fire.
It is calling on manufacturers to ‘do the right thing’ by taking immediate voluntary action to end production of these appliances and says that the industry should also agree to more quickly bring in a tougher safety standard on fridges, freezers and fridge freezers that no longer allows potentially flammable backing material.
Among its calls to manufacturers are: stop producing cold appliances with non-flame retardant plastic backs; support the call to make the new standard stronger; and ensure that all new cold appliances meet the proposed stronger standard immediately.
Which? is also calling on the government to urgently set up a new national body to take responsibility for ensuring manufacturers keep households safe and get dangerous products out of people’s homes quickly before there is further tragedy or loss of life.
Alex Neill, managing director of Which? Home and Product Services, said: “People who already have one of these models in their homes shouldn’t be alarmed, but our advice is that no-one should purchase one from new. Manufacturers must immediately stop making fridges, freezers and fridge freezers to a standard that they know is clearly deficient and inadequate, and could potentially be putting people’s lives at risk.
“This once again shows that the UK’s product safety regime is simply not fit-for-purpose and the government can no longer continue to allow it to fail.”
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