Electrical Safety First Core Data Set – Scotland
Deaths, Injuries and Fires
1. Fatalities and injuries caused by electrical fires in dwellings (2016 figures)
- 598 casualties and 9 fatalities caused by electrical fires
- Average of 11 a week and nearly 2 a day
- Cooking appliances were the leading cause of electrical related fatalities and injuries (472)
2. Number of house fires of electrical origin in Scotland in 2016 (with methodology applied):
- 3,724 house fires caused by electricity (out of a total of 4,969 fires)
- 75% of house fires in Scotland were caused by electricity
- Cooking appliances are the largest cause of electrical-related house fires
- Electricity supply (i.e. wiring, cabling and plugs) is the second biggest cause, accounting for 346 fires
- Of those 3,724 fires:
- 80% were caused by appliances and products (2,966)
- 20% were caused by an supply fault (758)
3. Major products involved in electrical fires in 2016:
- Cooking appliances were the highest cause of fires in Scotland in 2016 at 2,819
- A DTI report estimates that 20% of electrical fires could be prevented by the presence of an RCD[3]
| 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Fires | Injuries | Fatalities |
| Cooking appliances | 2,819 | 469 | 3 |
| White goods | 2,230 | 363 | 3 |
| Electrical distribution | 346 | 21 | 1 |
| Tumble driers | 91 | 13 | 0 |
| Lighting | 73 | 9 | 0 |
| Dishwashers | 33 | 2 | 0 |
| Fridge/Freezers | 24 | 5 | 0 |
[1] In our analysis we have not included fires caused by deep fat fires in the figure. These are included in the ‘other’ figure instead.
[2] Data supplied by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for the period 1 Jan – 31st December 2016
[3] DTI Report: "Consumer Safety Research - Residual Current Devices - added value for home safety” http://www.dti.gov.uk/homesafetynetwork/pdf/rcd.pdf
[4] White goods include: Cooker including Oven, Dishwasher, Fridge/freezer, Microwave oven, Spin dryer, Tumble, Washer/dryer, Washing machine