Portfolio Assignment 1c: Essay (1000 words) – 50% of Assessment

- IGOR K

Write a report on the recent spate of fires caused by tumble driers in homes in the
UK. The report must include the following:

● An introduction stating the aim of the report;

● Detailed information about one example of a fire involving tumble
dryers;
● The position taken by the Fire and Rescue Service;
● The position taken by consumer bodies;
● The position taken by manufacturers; and
● A conclusion

Assessment specific criteria

To achieve a good mark in this assignment you will need to:
● Meet the report structure requirements
● Outline and current relevant legislation
● Identify a suitable example of an incident
● Demonstrate a wide range of references and types of resources used
(ie, Books, Journals, and electronic resources
● Referencing to Harvard Standard
Believe it or not, 12% of UK house fires are caused by faulty appliances,₁‌
Causing major issues, with Whirlpool machines causing at least 750 fires in
the last 11 years.(₁)

As you can imagine, this number of fires is highly concerning, and as so, I
have been tasked to write a report of the recent spate of Tumbledryer fires
plaguing the British Public, According to Reports by the Morgan Clark blog
Referenced in the guide attached below (₁) In 2019, around 500,000 Tumble
Dryers which include brands such as Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan &
Proline brands were affected, allegedly with many of these machines still in
use, posing issues around fire safety at a major scale around the country,
hence a report being required on how to tackle the issue.

The most likely cause of Tumble Dryer fires in these scenarios is caused by
large build ups of fluff, often caused when it is not removed from the
machine, which ignites if not cleaned due to the temperature and can cause
massive damage as typically it may be unnoticed for a period of time.

There is a significant number of actions you can complete however to

reduce the risk of fires caused by tumble dryers massively however, which
is great news.

Some of these actions will be included below, citing from (₁,₂)

● You can ensure that lint filters in tumble dryers are cleaned and not
allow lint to accumulate in the filter.
● Make sure not to place any clothes contaminated with combustible
materials such as grease, oils & fats are placed in the Tumble dryer
to prevent combustion and instead wash them first with extra
detergent.
● Avoid placing latex materials such as latex or rubber in the tumble
dryer as these may encourage combustion.
● Ensure placing a smoke alarm in the washing machine area

Wiltshire Fire and rescue service issued an announcement to help prevent

these types of fires by looking for warning signs such as a smell of
burning, textiles taking longer to dry and also dry items feeling very hot at
the end of the cycle. (₁)
Warnings have been issued after a recent string of fires due to tumble
dryers across the UK, According to a Recent Yahoo article (₃), With Cost of
living and inflation rising, many people have decided to use Tumble dryers
overnight where cost of living is cheaper, causing a increased amount of
incidents.

Below attached is a recent case of an incident which happened in Wakefield after

a member of the public left their tumble dryer on overnight (₃) West Yorkshire
FRS claimed there was no smoke alarm fitted at the property and the occupant
suffered from smoke inhalation.

According to the Fire Protection Association (₄), Whirlpool has issued a recall for
a whopping 500,000 units, due to the risk of them “catching fire”.

The consumer group “Which?” has issued a statement saying Whirlpool should
“Do the right thing” for UK consumers caught up in the latest recall, Whirlpool
has claimed that since 2015 it has repaired or replaced 3.8M dryers suffering from
this issue. (₄)

Since 2004, around 750 Fires have been caused by faulty Dryers with Lint or fluff
being exposed to heat as the cause, this figure includes brands such as Creda,
Hotpoint, Indesit, Proline and swan brands. (₄)

Whirlpool’s vice President Jeff Noel stated that “the company is ‘redoubling the
efforts of this campaign by issuing a full recall of all unmodified dryers”, and
added: ‘Safety is our top priority and tackling the issue with our tumble dryers
has been one of the biggest challenges we have ever faced’ (₄)

Another real life case study is that of a mother of four from

Hampshire who was forced to flee her home when her
appliance caught fire unexpectedly, Gemma claims 2 years
prior her Tumbledryer had been modified, but caught fire
nevertheless… (₅)

With firefighters claiming that with a five minute difference, the damage
could have been significantly more.

According to the Guardian (₆ ), Whirlpool has been condemned for using

Non-Disclosure agreements (NDA’S) in at least 24 cases, apparently trying
to cover up the fires. There have also been cases of already updated
tumble dryers STILL catching fire after “appropriate” adaptations being
made which is further cause to concern.

There are reports calling on an independent consumer body which will be

able to stand up for consumers in the UK after safety organizations
expressed dismay at the handling of Whirlpool’s tumble dryer fiasco and
its alleged tactics at silencing customers who had been victims of faulty
tumble dryers. (₆)

Whirlpool, the manufacturer of the faulty tumble dryers has since

confirmed that there are over 600 Tumble Dryers which have been
identified as a potential fire risk, which is a significant amount, however
Whirlpool has provided phone hotlines and a website where you can see if
your tumble dryer is affected and needs replacement which is the right
thing to do.
So, where does that leave us in 2023? Well, Rachel Reeves, then Chair of
the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee(₇) said:

“The Whirlpool tumble-dryer saga has dragged on for far too long, leaving
customers, now four years on, still fearing they may have potentially
unsafe tumble dryers in their homes.”

Many claim that Whirlpool has, and is prioritizing profits over it’s consumer
bases’ safety, and has so far modified 1.7M units out of 5.3M sold between April
2004 and September 2015, clearly with a large amount of tumble dryers still due
work, all eyes are on whirlpool and what they can do for the average whirlpool
user.

According to (₇) - Whirlpool has the following options for affected customers.

Consumers affected have the option to choose:

● A free replacement dryer with no extra charges for collection or disposal of

old machine

● A free, one-hour modification of the old machine

● A discounted upgrade to a higher specification model than the free

replacement

● A partial refund of up to £150, with owners of older machines getting less

than those with newer ones

REFERENCING GUIDE

₁ Anon, (2020). Is your tumble dryer a fire risk? | Morgan Clark. [online] Available at:
https://www.morganclark.co.uk/about-us/blog/is-your-tumble-dryer-a-fire-risk/ ‌.

₂ HSE Offshore: Tumble dryer fires in laundry rooms (no date). Available at:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/infosheets/is3-2009.htm.

₃ Warning after tumble dryers catch fire as people try to save money during cost of living crisis. [online] Available at:
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/tumble-dryers-catch-fire-warning-people-save-money-cost-living-crisis-163855591.html
[Accessed 26 Dec. 2022].

₄www.thefpa.co.uk. (n.d.). Update on fire risk dryer recall | Fire Protection Association. [online] Available at:
https://www.thefpa.co.uk/news/update-on-fire-risk-dryer-recall [Accessed 26 Dec. 2022].

₅ https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/9477586/whirlpool-names-tumble-dryer-models-catch-fire/

₆ Staff and agency (2019). Whirlpool condemned for ‘silencing customers’ over tumble-dryer fires. [online] the Guardian.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/nov/01/whirlpool-condemned-for-silencing-customers-over-
tumble-dryer-fire

₇ Evening Standard. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/whirlpool-tumble-dryer-recall-list-model-numbers-affected-check-machine-

a4275956.html [Accessed 2 Jan. 2023].
₈