JA2015 - Household Electrical Appliances Safety

Small electrical appliances such as irons, blenders, mixers, kettles etc. are part of our daily life and they require being not only durable but also safe for every day use. These products are used by normal consumers and/or non-professionals and are easily found in shops. 

It is considered to be present in more than 80% of the European households and though these kinds of products have achieved a good overall safety level, there are still a large number of unsafe products. This is the reason household electrical appliances became a top priority for the Joint Action 2015 and there are also going to be present in future Joint Actions.

The first action of its kind has begun within the framework of the Joint Action 2015 and is focusing on blenders, mixers and small kitchen heating appliances such as toasters. The problems presented by these products are numerous: poor internal wiring that may cause fires or electric shocks to the user, accessible hot surfaces that may cause burns or moving blades that may cause cuts or break up during normal operation.

Also, another issue that should be taken into account is the fact that these products may be offered on sale at very low prices and without having been manufactured in line with the legal requirements applied in Europe.

In fact, in the last three years more than 10 RAPEX notifications have been issued covering unsafe characteristics of products on the European market.

Click on the pictures below to refer to further interesting links related to household electrical appliances safety.