ESR urges main political parties to back home safety MOTs

An industry group that brings senior executives together to promote electrical safety has urged the main political parties to include provisions in their 2015 election manifestos to improve safety in the home by introducing and tightening up requirements for specific home safety checks.

The call, from the Electrical Safety Roundtable (ESR), came during Labour and Conservative party conference fringe events, hosted by the prominent electrical industry group. It focused on taking a fresh look at safety in the home by introducing the concept of the home safety MOT.

Commenting on the ESR’s participation in this year’s fringe events, chairman Chris Bielby MBE said: “The ‘Safer Homes; Safer Britain’ fringe events provided an excellent forum to discuss and debate the concept of a Home MOT with industry stakeholders, politicians and interested parties. It was widely agreed that clear, concise, consistent regulation to improve gas and electrical safety in the home and reduce fatalities is required, and we hope that Political Parties will consider this when issuing their policy manifestos ahead of the 2015 General Election.”

The ‘Safer Homes; Safer Britain’ events were held to explore public attitudes towards safety in the home and consider solutions to ensure renters and homeowners across Britain avoid unnecessary risks. They focused on the practicalities of introducing regular, mandatory home electrical safety checks and requirements for carbon monoxide and fire detection alarms in domestic premises.

Participants in the debates included MPs Barry Sheerman and Peter Aldous as well as representatives from the Chief Fire Officers Association, NAPIT, Shelter and Electrical Safety First.

Discussions at the event resulted in unanimous agreement on the need to tighten laws around retaliatory eviction and amend current regulations to require electrical safety checks in the private rented sector every 5 years. They also explored other areas of home safety where  requirements could be improved, including: thermostatic mixing valves, sprinkler systems, residual current devices (RCD’s) and the safety of electrical appliances.

For more information on the Electrical Safety Roundtable and its activities, visit: www.electricalsafetyroundtable.co.uk or email info@electricalsafetyroundtable.co.uk.