- Out of 14 electrical product categories, there was a total of 358 electrical product recalls between 2011-2016
- Of the 358, 44 per cent were recalled because the product, components or an element of it had the sole risk of an electrical shock
- Chargers & adaptors had the highest percentage of product recalls at 28 per cent
- Communication & media equipment, and cooking and domestic appliances had the joint lowest percentage of products recalled at just 1 per cent each
A product recall is usually a request to return a product after a safety issue or defect has been found, which can be potentially very dangerous. The prospective dangers can include – risk of an electric shock, fire, explosion, injury and overheating.
An electrical product can become subject to a product recall for several reasons. It could be due to the way an electrical product is made – which could be down to a design flaw, use of inadequate materials, poor construction and faulty internal components.
Utilising information from Electrical Safety First, OnBuy.com analysed how many electrical products and which category of goods were recalled between 2011-2016.
OnBuy.com identified 14 electrical product categories:
- Audio Visual & Computers
- Communication & Media Equipment
- Construction Products
- Cooking Appliances
- Domestic Appliances
- Gardening & DIY
- General Household
- Health & Beauty
- Heaters
- Kitchen Appliances
- Lighting
- Plugs & Cables
- Toys
- Chargers & Adaptors
The research revealed that there was a total of 358 recorded electrical product recalls between 2011-2016 on the Electrical Safety First database.
Out of the 358 recalls, many of the recalls came from the electrical product category of chargers & adapters at 28 per cent. The second highest percentage of recalls came from lighting at 14 per cent. The third highest percentage of recalls came from kitchen appliances at 11 per cent.
Communication & media equipment alongside cooking and domestic appliances had the joint lowest percentage of product recalls at only 1 per cent each. Marginally above, was construction products at just 2 per cent.
Overall, of the 358, 44 per cent were recalled because the product itself, components or an element of it had the sole risk of an electrical shock. Information for immediate release OnBuy.com
Cas Paton, Managing Director of OnBuy.com commented: “Whilst product recalls are an unfortunate occurrence, it’s always done so with consumer safety at the heart of the decision. Considering every year there are thousands of new products on the market, only a small percentage having some sort of defect or fault is a testament to the high standards set by various governing bodies and authorities into product safety. Those products that do get recalled provide a valuable emphasis on the importance of rigorous testing before any electrical product is made available to the mass market.”
