A2 Report 1000 Words Igor Kopinski

(Learning Outcomes LO3)

You have been asked to produce a report detailing the measures needed to be
undertaken to reduce the risk of fire among a vulnerable group of individuals in the
community with a higher than average incidence of fires in their homes.

You will identify a group using evidence gathered from your research and identify
the possible underlying causes of this elevated risk. You will produce a report
detailing your research findings, a risk reduction strategy and practical measures
to engage, communicate and reduce the risk to these groups of individuals.

Assessment Criteria (The actual assessment components for this assignment)

Criteria
Good marks will be achieved by:
The precise criteria against which your work will be marked are as follows:
To achieve a good mark in this assignment you will need to demonstrate that

● You have identified a group/individuals that has a higher than average risk of
a fire occurring in their dwelling;
● You have collected supporting evidence, statistics and data that underpin
your assertion;
● You have considered specific issues that contribute to that elevated risk
● You have identified potential strategies to reduce the risk to those groups
and/or individuals.

A2 Report 1000 Words

 During my research, I believe I have come across a group of
individuals who are inclined to be highly more at risk than the
average person when it comes to fire safety. This is a well - known
case and has affected 750 households in the last 11 years,and
potentially has another 500,000 households in danger.

I am talking about anybody who owns a Whirlpool tumble dryer,

which has caused a massive stir in UK news recently for stories of
massive recalls, house fires and allegedly even bribery and
corruption, let’s talk about the impact of Whirlpool’s faulty tumble
dryers, what is responsible, how it has impacted someone with one
of these tumble dryers, and what they can do about it.
Hotpoint, Cressida, Indesit, Swan & Proline are all tumble dryer
brands owned by Whirlpool, which is an american company which
specializes in home appliances, however recently the company has
come under massive fire, as there is a built in fault into their
appliances which causes some of them to burst into flames.
Since owners of a tumble dryer produced by Whirlpool have a
higher than average risk of a fire occurring in their dwelling, we will
be looking at what they can do, what the fire is caused by and what
whirlpool can do about it too as many of these machines are in use
today and pose such a risk that the government has had to get
involved and local fire brigades have given out advice and
recommendations.

There is a recent case of a mother of four from Hampshire, which

was left traumatized after her tumble dryer caught fire
unexpectedly, and she had to flee her house despite a
“modification” to the tumble dryer 2 years previously, with
firefighters claiming that a 5 minute difference to them arriving
would have left the house in flames.
The fact that the dryer was modified already, and still caught fire
causes real concerns, when we remember that over 500,000 of
these tumble dryers are yet to be modified, still putting many
people’s lives at risk.

The actual cause of the fires caused by Whirlpool tumble dryers is

a fault which allows large amounts of dust and lint to accumulate in
the machine, which when stored in large amounts is very flammable,
this combined with the great heat produced and fact that many
people are now leaving their tumble dryers on overnight, when
electricity bills are cheaper is a recipe for disaster.
Whirlpool has allegedly been seen using Non Disclosure agreements
(NDA’s) in at least 24 cases of tumble dryer fires, which means that
customers are being paid off to not speak against the company,
which is obviously an attempt to cover up their misdeeds and there
are calls for an independent UK consumer body to review these
claims to make sure consumers have a voice and aren’t being
silenced if they want to speak against Whirlpool.

With so many cases of fires around the country, and such a large
amount of affected dryers still out there, many people are
wondering what they can do at home about this current situation if
they do own an affected tumble dryer.

Luckily, whirlpool has offered a very flexible solution to the

problem, with several options you can choose, first with making
sure your dryer is affected on the whirlpool website by checking
the model number, if it is you can choose from a free replacement
dryer with collection or disposal of old machine at no extra cost, a
modification of the old machine, a discounted upgrade to a higher
spec dryer for a reduced price, or a partial refund of £150,
depending on which model and year machine you have of course.

Although Whirlpool has provided a solution to the problem now,

many people still argue that whirlpool has put profits ahead of its
customer’s safety, leaving many people still at risk of a house fire,
with nowhere near all of the tumble dryers being modified, and
many people still being afraid of having unsafe tumble dryers in
their homes.
Vice president of WhirlPool Jeff Noel Issued a statement -
“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’

Despite the 2019 notice of the UK government issuing Whirlpool to recall

500,000 of its tumble dryers, many machines are still at risk, and cases
still do occur of fires caused by these appliances.

Many Fire and rescue services across the country have issued additional
warnings and guidance on how to stay safe and protect yourself from
potentially faulty tumble dryers.

East Sussex FRS issued a statement, asking people to please make sure
appliances are turned off if not in use, making sure they are serviced
yearly by a qualified electrician, making sure households and kitchens
have working fire alarms, and creating and maintaining an escape plan in
case of a fire.

West Yorkshire FRS has also added that you should avoid overloading
your tumble dryer, keep it well maintained, making sure to clear lint and
fluff from the filter, avoid drying clothing contaminated with flammable
materials, hand drying it instead and finally you follow the manufacturer's
instructions for the machine.