Electrical Safety First’s campaign to make university students in Scotland aware of the risks of electrical fires gets underway as the new academic term starts…
As Fire Safety Door week gets underway, Electrical Safety First has ramped up its campaign to make students in Scotland aware of the risks of electrical hazards.
The “Dear Student” campaign urges university students to take additional care in their term time homes to avoid any disasters.
This month, hundreds of thousands of students are moving away from home for the first time. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers that can occur from the misuse of electrical equipment, faulty leads, and appliances.
The most recent figures show the number of house fires fell by 23 per cent from 6,963 to 5,330 between 2006-07 and 2013-14. This represented the lowest annual rate since 1990.
Additionally, the number of fatalities due to house fires have also decreased by 28 per cent from 46 to 33 during the same period.
Scottish National Party MSP Clare Adamson commented: “These new figures show that Scotland is making good progress in reducing the number of house fires and, importantly, the number of people who are killed as a result of fires.
“Our Fire and Rescue Service in particular deserve our gratitude for the hard work they do every day to keep people safe.
“However, we can never be complacent and we should all take the simple steps required to keep our homes safe – including installing smoke alarms and ensuring our electrical equipment remains safe.
“Over the next few weeks thousands of young people across Scotland, many for the first time, will leave home to live in rented accommodation and it is important that we ensure they are aware of the risk of fire from electrical equipment.
“Landlords must, and do, take a number of steps to ensure the safety of their tenants but tenants themselves must be aware of the risks and the steps they should take to mitigate them.
“I want all new and returning students to have fun and enjoy their studies but they shouldn’t forget to check out the Electrical Safety First student safety campaign and download their free smartphone app.”
According to Electrical Safety First one in four students had faulty electrics in their private rented accommodation. A total of 37 per cent of landlords failed to fix exposed wiring, while 35 per cent failed to rectify damp, condensation or flooding around electrics.
Director of Electrical Safety First Phil Buckle said: “We are delighted that the number of fires in Scottish homes has decreased.
“But we cannot be smug – around two thirds of all domestic fires in Scotland are caused by electricity, with particular concerns arising from a lack of safety in student’s privately rented accommodation.
“Our recent research found that well over a third of landlords and lettings agents failed to fix exposed wiring, or damp or flooding around the electrics in student accommodation.
“And, with the majority of domestic fires caused by electrical products, there is a growing issue with counterfeit electrical items which, unlike a designer handbag, can kill and maim.
“Since 2010, authorities in Glasgow, for example, have seized more fake electrical items than anywhere else in the UK.”