Santosh Muthiah
The coroner's concerns
1. inability to identify manufacturer model and serial number of appliances
“Identification of cause of fires”
2. underestimation of manufacturer appliance risks
“This creates a risk that the nature and extent of a potential problem with a particular manufacturer or particular appliance is not fully known and therefore underestimated”
3. inadequate fire-resistant labeling on appliances
“LFB witnesses gave evidence that if manufacturers were to mark their appliances with the model and serial number of their products in such a way that the marking will survive a fire, even if it were severe, this would enable any appliance believed to have caused the fire to be properly identified so that accurate information can be provided to the manufacturer and TS”
4. inconsistent communication of fire investigation results to manufacturers and trading standards
“Communication of Information”
5. inadequate data sharing between government department and trading standards
“At present the Department for Communities and Local Government ("DCLG") does not necessarily pass the data it collects from FRS's, relating to appliance fires (where the make and model are recorded”
6. lack of notification from fire investigators to trading standards
“companies and organisations which investigate fires, such as insurance companies, legal firms, private fire investigators etc. do not, generally, notify TS when the outcome of an investigation is that the cause of a fire is believed to have been the result of a product failure”
Responses
2014-0476-Response-by-AMDEA.pdf ↗· The Chartered Society of Forensic Scientists
Stated action
“We accept that there are difficulties in identifying products and components that fail but in most cases the fire officers with specialist knowledge (such as are found in the London Fire Brigade) with assistance from company specialists can overcome the difficulties preserited when a product is burnt out and only a carcass remains. Over the past few years industry and the fire service have held regular meetings at AMDEA and we ensure that the fire services are supplied with contact details for”
2014-0476-Response-by-BSI.pdf ↗· Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Stated action · November 2014
“The proposal requires a flame retardant covering to be put over foam insulation.”
2014-0476-Response-by-Chief-Fire-Officers-Association.pdf ↗· Chief Fire Officers Association
2014-0476-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Innovation-Skills.pdf ↗· Department for Business
Stated action · later in the year
“of best practice is something that will be considered as part of the independent review of consumer product recalls recently announced by Baroness [name redacted]-Rolfe during a House of Lords debate on the Consumer Rights Bill. The review will incorporate views from a range of Market Surveillance Authorities and other business and non-government stakeholders. The output will be a report to BIS Ministers highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and making recommendations on”