Statistics - Scotland | Electrical Safety First

Electrical Safety First Core Data Set – Scotland

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]

[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://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/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