ABSTRACT The safe use of domestic appliances functioning of safety features and equipment The aim of the study was to minimise safety hazards connected with domestic appliances. The aim was to find out how domestic appliance safety features function under different situations and circumstances. The appliances studied were cookers, washing machines, combination washer/dryers, tumble dryers, dishwashers, and refrigeration appliances. The study consisted of questionnaires and tests simulating hazardous use, placing, and installation of domestic appliances. Domestic appliance repairmen were asked about factors most often influencing the use and service life of domestic appliances. 91 families with small children responded to a survey on cooker safety. Experiences of households with elderly people are based on responses from home help service personnel (39). The functioning of washing machines (9), combination washer/dryers (4) and dishwashers (17) was observed in situations when there were malfunctions in water intake and draining. Dishwashers were also studied in regard to how the machines signalling system reacted when the rotation of the spray arm was prevented and when waste accumulated in the filter. In addition, the temperatures in the wash cycles drying phase were measured in machines with heating elements either built into the machine or visible on the bottom of the tub. The effect of the dishwasher on condensation of moisture on the surface of furniture was studied with the help of two dishwashers that use air to condense moisture, and which were placed in a cupboard. Tumble dryers (7) were studied with regard to how the filling up of the lint filter and water collection drawer influenced the functioning of the appliance. Three tumble dryers were tested to find out how a years use in a family influenced the accumulation of dust inside the appliance. Studies conducted on cookers (15 basic free-standing cookers and 5 built-in ovens) included measuring surface temperatures and studying the functioning of the safety systems of the cookers. The measurements of free-standing cookers were connected to a study of surface temperatures and a comparison of measuring methods commissioned by Safety Technology Authority TUKES. The effect of circulating air on the functioning of built-in appliances was studied for four structurally different refrigerator-freezers. One in three families with small children had experienced some kind of dangerous situation with a cooker. In nearly a fifth of the families, a child had turned the cookers controls on. In approximately one in ten households, a child had hurt his or her hand on a hot oven door or cooking element. In some of these cases, the child had received burns. Approximately one in ten of the families had a cooker guard while slightly fewer families had an oven door guard. The most common safety solutions in the households of the elderly included cookers equipped with safety timers and cooker alarm systems based on power and time adjustments of the cooker. Based on actual usage, the same type of safety equipment is not suitable for all users. The needs of the customer should be the starting point in choosing

cooker safety equipment. The price should not be the only deciding factor. Home help service personnel did not feel they knew enough about the safety equipment features. In the households of the elderly, the lack of worktops and foreign objects inadvertently placed on the hot cooking element also caused dangerous situations. The highest temperatures of oven fronts for free-standing cookers were 95104 C and for built-in cookers 6773 C, when the inside temperature was 200 C. Two of the built-in ovens had a function that, depending on the default temperature, cut off the power from the oven automatically after two to six hours. In pyrolytic cleaning, the oven door locked automatically five minutes after the cleaning programme had begun. In dishwashers, washing machines, and combination washer/dryers, the heating elements did not switch on when incoming water was blocked in the beginning of the cycle. A few machines did not stop futile water intake attempts automatically, which in the long run weakens the machine. Three combination washer/dryers did not stop when incoming water was blocked in the drying phase. In those cases, the inside temperature rose higher than in normal use, which also shortens the life of the machine. Three dishwashers had a signal light or sound indicating that the rotation of the spray arms is blocked, but the appliance continued to run after the appearance of the signal. Two dishwashers had a signal light indicating that the filter needed cleaning. The appearance of the light was based on the number of times the appliance was used, not actual soiling of the filter. According to installation specifications, the drain hose of four dishwashers did not need to be raised above floor level. Depending on the structure of the moisture condenser of dishwashers, moisture condensed on the furniture. In the drying phase of the wash cycle, the temperature of the bottom of the dishwasher tub was 6572 C. The surface temperature of visible heating elements was 184277 C. All tumble dryers stopped automatically when the water collection drawer was full. Three tumble dryers let water run down the front of the appliance, if the drawer was not properly in place. All the tumble dryers stopped if the lint filter was clogged. The information was given by a signal sound or an error code in all dryers except two, in which an overheating alarm went off, which could be reset by the user. The instructions concerning the cleaning frequency of the moisture condenser were found to be too vague. The internal structures of the dryers did not accumulate dust in a year of use by a normal family. The electricity consumption of refrigerator-freezers rose by up to 126% when air circulation was completely blocked and by 91% when the air circulation from the top was blocked. When air circulation was blocked both from top and bottom, the highest ambient temperature of the compressor was 5573 C. The lack of air circulation first affected the performance of the appliance in refrigerator-freezers with one compressor. The temperature of the freezer rose to 11 C. The report includes recommendations to appliance manufacturers, those who make up brochures and manuals, appliance sales personnel, those who design homes, and appliance maintenance services. Buyers of new appliances, those needing safety equipment, their families, and home-help service personnel need information and guidance. In addition, the results give grounds for developing safety standards for domestic appliances and the development of new types of appliances.