Is the appliance industry’s safety record good enough? Philippa Turrell asks the question

I thought I may be among the first to wish you a happy festive season but it seems all the major retailers and supermarkets have beaten me to it. If it’s not the man in the moon, or Mog destroying the kitchen (admit it, who has already put in a quote for the refit?), then it’s Fleur East asking if you can play that sax…why? #Because it’s Christmas, apparently.

The seasonal period is a time when the kitchen really comes into its own. It’s a time of eating, drinking and preparing the home for visitors, which means cooking, cleaning and washing. And of course, it’s a time when the kitchen and its appliances come under punishment to cater for the entire household and any overnight guests. So unsurpringly it’s also around now, where appliances are more likely to break down. Consider the nightmare of a broken fridge freezer, defrosting all the food preparations, or an oven failure, with the turkey still to cook, or even the washing machine with bedding still to launder.

According to research by Glotech.co.uk, the appliances most likely to breakdown in winter are washing machines and ovens, with 278 washing machines repaired in October and the same number of ovens fixed in November. Dishwashers came a close second with 168 repairs during November. It can’t be a coincidence that Ao.com and Currys have both been very visibly advertising household appliances on TV, promoting the availability of BSH brands. *Insert your own comment here! *

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But is a broken down appliance really the least consumers should be concerned about? For owners of selected Indesit Company tumble dryers, there is also the added possibility their tumble dryer poses a fire risk. It’s not for the first time that the appliance industry has come under scrutiny, and for all the wrong reasons, hitting tabloids headlines and – in the case of the Indesit Company – ITV’s This Morning. It should be pointed out the manufacturer is in the process of resolving the problem with selected Indesit, Creda and Hotpoint models, with the assistance of Trading Standards, contacting the owners of the appliances and mending faulty products.

While the industry works so hard to create products that fulfil the need and design aspirations of consumers, while reducing energy and water use, shouldn’t we also pay very close (and arguably) now even more attention to duty of care? Of course, I’m not suggesting manufacturers are not concerned about consumer safety and not doing enough. After all, under the umbrella of AMDEA, major appliance brands did try and improve the recall process, earlier this year, with the launch of registermyappliance.org.uk website. And it’s a great start. However, it’s just, could we do better? As we encourage consumers to buy into connectivity and operate their appliances remotely, can we ensure they will be confident the machines will operate without a error? As we quickly approach 2016, when we will be choosing New Year’s Resolutions, with the promise to improve on your performance of the previous 12 months, perhaps this could be at the top of the agenda?