KeithT said:
"1) Never charge batteries unattended. "
[style="color: #000000;"]I have to say that I don't see myself sitting sucking my thumb whilst my cordless drill/cameras or laptop are recharging.
[style="color: #000000;"]How on earth did such potentially catastrophic devices get past the Elf n Safety afficionadoes? Or do they only do helmets and steel toed boots?:-
From my experience I would suggest that this should be taken that it's a good idea not to leave batteries on charge when you leave the house or go to bed.
One of the problems surrounding issues with any certain manufacturer's goods posing a fire risk is that people who have issues don't inform the fire service. If a serious fire occurs, then obviously (you'd hope) they will dial 999, but if they catch an incident in the early stages (or they put the fire out) people will only tend to contact the supplier and/or manufacturer. They seem to think that notifying the fire service is unneccassary - maybe even embarrasing. BUT it's actually very important for a number of reasons;
1) They may THINK that the fire is extinguished, but it's actually still smouldering unseen. We used to get loads of serious incidents in this way (one or two actually led to fatalities).
2) SOME insurance policies won't pay out for a fire unless the fire service has attended, and (back on topic)
3) The officer attending (you won't neccasarily get a full attendance, depending on the circumstances) will fill in a fire report known as an FDR1. This will include details such as the make of any appliance etc. Every FDR1 in the country is analysed and trends (such as a certain manufacturer's batteries/chargers frequently catching fire) are actioned. This has led to thousands of re-calls etc. over the years from VW LT vans to some of the original Sony Playstations.
This is certainly a more effecient means of spotting possible problems than word of mouth. Quite apart from anything else, it means that the suppliers/manufacturers can't hide a fault and best of all ............ it's totally free!!