BRIAN DAVID BETTERTON · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 11 Sep 2017•Bedfordshire and Luton

Published report and response evidence

This report’s concerns and statements found in recipients’ published responses. Statements are included even where no link to an individual concern is recorded. A link shows an evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

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Concerns
4

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
8

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

Concerns raised4

  1. Lack of purchaser records for products purchased and fitted by professional electricians
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable product safety recall and remediation processes
  2. Failure of product recalls to reach end users when products are purchased or fitted by third parties
    Part of recurring concern: Unreliable product safety recall and remediation processes
  3. Potentially lethal products fitted in domestic properties after purchase by a third party rather than the occupier

Stated actions An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.8

  1. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Share the report’s concerns with Department for Communities and Local Government colleagues responsible for Building Regulations.

  2. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Establish a product recalls and safety working group to identify improvements to recalls and product safety.

  3. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Support development of a BSI code of practice on corrective action and product recalls.

  4. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Respond to the Working Group’s recommendations on improving recalls and reducing white-goods fires.

  5. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Upgrade the Government recalls website to provide current recall information and enable direct contact about future appliance recalls.

  6. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Commission research into increasing the impact and effectiveness of product safety messages and recall responses.

  7. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Feed concerns raised in the report into development of the BSI code of practice.

  8. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Take action to implement recommendations from the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety.

Respondent positions A position is what a recipient says about a concern when it does not describe a specific action.1

  1. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Building Regulations matters are the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is conducting a review.

    Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Lack of purchaser records for products purchased and fitted by professional electricians

Wider context from the report

“1. The Product Recall relates to a product supplied between April 2009 and February 2010. 2. The Product Recall did not come to the attention of the deceased. 3. In the majority of cases the end user of the product will not have purchased or fitted the product. 4. The Product Recall therefore is dependent upon identifying the person who actually purchased the product. 5. The purchaser is likely to be a professional electrician, yet is not required to keep a register of such items that he/she purchased and fitted nor is he/she required to inform the supplier/manufacturer of the details of the end user. 6. As a consequence it seems that the Product Recall was always likely to be ineffective. (It would be interesting to know how many products the manufacturer thought were affected and how many responses they had to the Product Recall Notice). 7. It seems to me that these concerns are not unique to fuse boxes, but that there are many potentially lethal products which are fitted into domestic properties which are purchased by a third party rather than the occupier. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable product safety recall and remediation processes.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Failure of product recalls to reach end users when products are purchased or fitted by third parties

Wider context from the report

“1. The Product Recall relates to a product supplied between April 2009 and February 2010. 2. The Product Recall did not come to the attention of the deceased. 3. In the majority of cases the end user of the product will not have purchased or fitted the product. 4. The Product Recall therefore is dependent upon identifying the person who actually purchased the product. 5. The purchaser is likely to be a professional electrician, yet is not required to keep a register of such items that he/she purchased and fitted nor is he/she required to inform the supplier/manufacturer of the details of the end user. 6. As a consequence it seems that the Product Recall was always likely to be ineffective. (It would be interesting to know how many products the manufacturer thought were affected and how many responses they had to the Product Recall Notice). 7. It seems to me that these concerns are not unique to fuse boxes, but that there are many potentially lethal products which are fitted into domestic properties which are purchased by a third party rather than the occupier. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable product safety recall and remediation processes.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Potentially lethal products fitted in domestic properties after purchase by a third party rather than the occupier

Wider context from the report

“1. The Product Recall relates to a product supplied between April 2009 and February 2010. 2. The Product Recall did not come to the attention of the deceased. 3. In the majority of cases the end user of the product will not have purchased or fitted the product. 4. The Product Recall therefore is dependent upon identifying the person who actually purchased the product. 5. The purchaser is likely to be a professional electrician, yet is not required to keep a register of such items that he/she purchased and fitted nor is he/she required to inform the supplier/manufacturer of the details of the end user. 6. As a consequence it seems that the Product Recall was always likely to be ineffective. (It would be interesting to know how many products the manufacturer thought were affected and how many responses they had to the Product Recall Notice). 7. It seems to me that these concerns are not unique to fuse boxes, but that there are many potentially lethal products which are fitted into domestic properties which are purchased by a third party rather than the occupier. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Failure to require purchasers to provide suppliers or manufacturers with end-user details

Wider context from the report

“1. The Product Recall relates to a product supplied between April 2009 and February 2010. 2. The Product Recall did not come to the attention of the deceased. 3. In the majority of cases the end user of the product will not have purchased or fitted the product. 4. The Product Recall therefore is dependent upon identifying the person who actually purchased the product. 5. The purchaser is likely to be a professional electrician, yet is not required to keep a register of such items that he/she purchased and fitted nor is he/she required to inform the supplier/manufacturer of the details of the end user. 6. As a consequence it seems that the Product Recall was always likely to be ineffective. (It would be interesting to know how many products the manufacturer thought were affected and how many responses they had to the Product Recall Notice). 7. It seems to me that these concerns are not unique to fuse boxes, but that there are many potentially lethal products which are fitted into domestic properties which are purchased by a third party rather than the occupier. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

Yes — Unreliable product safety recall and remediation processes.

Open source report

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Share the report’s concerns with Department for Communities and Local Government colleagues responsible for Building Regulations.

Verbatim wording from the response

“These changes, while aimed at consumers, will also make it easier for tradespeople to check for any safety recalls of products they are installing. I have fed the important points that you raise into the development of the BSI code of practice and I have also asked my officials to share your concerns with colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Establish a product recalls and safety working group to identify improvements to recalls and product safety.

Verbatim wording from the response

“I recognise that the public needs to be reassured that the system for consumer product safety is working and that where unsafe electrical goods are identified they are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Product safety is a priority of this Government and we already have comprehensive legislative regulation to ensure products are safe before being placed on the market. In addition, in October 2016 I set up the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety to bring together product safety experts, the fire service and trading standards professionals to identify where improvements could be made to the system of product recalls and safety.”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Support development of a BSI code of practice on corrective action and product recalls.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The Working Group published its recommendation on how to improve recalls and reduce fires in white goods on 19 July. The Government will be responding shortly but we have already taken action to implement many of the Working Group’s recommendations. We have supported the development of a new BSI (the British Standards Institution) code of practice on corrective action and recalls which was recently the subject of public consultation. We have also commissioned research to understand how to increase the impact and effectiveness of product safety messages, so that more consumers respond to recalls.”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Respond to the Working Group’s recommendations on improving recalls and reducing white-goods fires.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The Working Group published its recommendation on how to improve recalls and reduce fires in white goods on 19 July. The Government will be responding shortly but we have already taken action to implement many of the Working Group’s recommendations. We have supported the development of a new BSI (the British Standards Institution) code of practice on corrective action and recalls which was recently the subject of public consultation. We have also commissioned research to understand how to increase the impact and effectiveness of product safety messages, so that more consumers respond to recalls.”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Upgrade the Government recalls website to provide current recall information and enable direct contact about future appliance recalls.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The Government’s recalls website at www.productrecall.campaign.gov.uk has been further upgraded so that consumers can quickly check for the latest recalls and register their appliances to allow them to be contacted directly about any future recalls of their products.”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Commission research into increasing the impact and effectiveness of product safety messages and recall responses.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The Working Group published its recommendation on how to improve recalls and reduce fires in white goods on 19 July. The Government will be responding shortly but we have already taken action to implement many of the Working Group’s recommendations. We have supported the development of a new BSI (the British Standards Institution) code of practice on corrective action and recalls which was recently the subject of public consultation. We have also commissioned research to understand how to increase the impact and effectiveness of product safety messages, so that more consumers respond to recalls.”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Feed concerns raised in the report into development of the BSI code of practice.

Verbatim wording from the response

“These changes, while aimed at consumers, will also make it easier for tradespeople to check for any safety recalls of products they are installing. I have fed the important points that you raise into the development of the BSI code of practice and I have also asked my officials to share your concerns with colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Take action to implement recommendations from the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety.

Verbatim wording from the response

“The Working Group published its recommendation on how to improve recalls and reduce fires in white goods on 19 July. The Government will be responding shortly but we have already taken action to implement many of the Working Group’s recommendations. We have supported the development of a new BSI (the British Standards Institution) code of practice on corrective action and recalls which was recently the subject of public consultation. We have also commissioned research to understand how to increase the impact and effectiveness of product safety messages, so that more consumers respond to recalls.”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent position was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Building Regulations matters are the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is conducting a review.

Verbatim wording from the response

“These changes, while aimed at consumers, will also make it easier for tradespeople to check for any safety recalls of products they are installing. I have fed the important points that you raise into the development of the BSI code of practice and I have also asked my officials to share your concerns with colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local”

Source location

2017-0224-Response-by-Department-for-Business-Energy-Industrial-Strategy
Page 1 · response
Published 5 October 2017

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026