Cumbria County Council's Trading Standards have recently completed two weeks of electric blanket testing throughout the County between 19 and 23 September and 10 and 14 October 2005. The results were staggering; 48% of blankets failed safety checks and one in five of the blankets tested were over 30 years old!
1124 electric blankets were tested, initially 545 failed, luckily 55 were capable of being made safe by the fitting of new plugs, fuses and the correction of minor wiring defects. The irreparable blankets were surrendered to Trading Standards for disposal and new replacement, single and double underblankets were issued to the users. A total of 444 replacements were issued ensuring a safe and trouble free winter for electric blanket users in Cumbria.
The event was run in partnership with Age Concern, Cumbria County Council's Fire and Rescue Service and various other voluntary groups with an emphasis on targeting vulnerable users who were most at risk.
County councillor Geoff Hodgson, cabinet spokesperson for community safety says:
"Cumbria County Council is committed to doing everything we can to improve the safety of the people of Cumbria. We are also working hard to protect older and vulnerable people and often it is older people who are most at risk from electric blankets. These safety tests, once again, showed that people can be made more aware of risks. Fires can be fatal and devastating to all concerned. The results show that regular checks are essential."
Phil Ashcroft, the County Council’s Head of Trading Standards, says:
"The failure of every other blanket shows no improvement on last year’s figures when 1 in 3 failed. People need to take blanket safety more seriously. A major concern this year was the number of blankets being submitted which were 30 or more years of age. On the last day of testing, a single under-blanket came in which was clearly marked with a batch code including the date stamp 1961. The blanket failed the insulation test. The elements insulation had perished. Disturbingly this was typical of a large number of blankets submitted. The replacement blankets have made a large number of Cumbrian homes safer."
Cumbria County Council’s Trading Standards Officers urge all users to examine their blankets regularly. Just because it gets warm does not necessarily mean it’s safe. Look for the danger signs, such as broken controls, exposed elements, scorch marks and cables breaking away from the entry point to the blanket.
Trading Standards advice to owners is that, if your blanket is more than 10 years old or it shows signs of wear and tear, then throw it away and buy a new one.