Don’t Blow Out Your Summer Party With a Bang

LONDON, August 26, 2011 -

MORE than 20 million UK adults are attending garden parties or outdoor celebrations with friends and family this summer, with many planning their last big celebration this bank holiday weekend.

However, research carried out by the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) indicates many party-goers could be at risk of a serious accident from hosts not following simple safety measures.

Working with party planner to the stars, Liz Brewer - star of Channel 4’s Ladette to Lady -the ESC has produced a list of Ten Tips for Party Success and Safety to ensure celebrations are both memorable and safe.

www.esc.org.uk/public/news-and-campaigns/news/news/article/ten-tips-for-party-success-and-safety/

In the UK at least one person dies each week from a serious electrical accident in and around the home and over one million UK adults have attended a garden party where there has been an electrical accident, injury or fire. Many of these could have been prevented by using an RCD (Residual Current Device). The ESC’s key recommendation for party safety is to use this simple, but vital, electrical safety device, which is designed to protect against fatal electric shocks if you touch something live, such as a bare wire.

The ESC study found that garden parties across the UK this summer are quite extravagant. When those who will attend or host a garden party were asked what the party will include:

- 6% will have a bouncy castle

- 12% will have live music

- 34% will include stereos outside

- 12% where indoor-use lighting is taken outside

Despite these potential hazards - 32% of all hosts using electrical equipment at their garden party do not give any additional consideration to electrical safety, even though it is outdoors.  And alarmingly two thirds, 66%, don’t ensure guests are adequately protected by using an RCD for all electrical equipment.

Many party hosts are also exposing themselves to unnecessary risk when preparing for their party:

- 38% tidy up by mowing the lawn or trimming the hedge but do not use RCDs

- Just 31% of hosts check plugs and leads for signs of damage before use

Liz Brewer is the author of ‘Liz Brewer’s Ultimate Guide to Party Planning and Etiquette’. Having organised parties for Ivana Trump and 10 Downing Street, amongst others, Liz says safety should always be a top priority.

Liz explains: “Many of us are competing to hold bigger and better summer garden parties but with that comes additional safety risks. Whether your guests are celebrities or your neighbours, it is your duty as host to protect them from serious electrical accidents and fires by using an RCD. All of us want to create a party to remember but you want to ensure that isn’t for all the wrong reasons.”

For further information, to speak to Liz Brewer, ESC or a case study of someone affected by an electrical accident in the garden, or to see regional data for these findings please contact:

Rosie Warin
rosie@forster.co.uk
+44(0)20-7403-2230

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