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We are all guilty of occasionally taking for granted the many benefits of using modern electrically-powered domestic appliances such as cookers, fridges, washing machines, kettles, toasters, mixers, microwave ovens and many others, so much so that we may neglect basic safety measures or may have a faulty piece of equipment which necessitates making a product liability claim for compensation.
With the vast number of so-called white goods' which pour out from factories, mainly in the Far East, to supply the needs of consumers in developed countries who are looking to make their chores easier, it is hardly surprising that not every item will be perfect.
This can be especially true of goods at the cheaper end of the price spectrum where corners have been cut to save money. Components may not be made to the highest tolerances and workers may be less skilled or sufficiently trained to build appliances in the safest manner.
There are also unscrupulous suppliers which will retrieve damaged goods that are seconds' or have failed safety tests, cosmetically improve them then pass them off as up to standard.
Consumers expect that once they have chosen the desired appliance which most closely matches their needs, all they have to do is plug it in a suitable electrical power supply socket, switch on and continue using the machine until it stops working.
However, a microwave cooker is a good case in point of how complacency may lead to an accident causing personal injury if it is either not maintained correctly, develops a fault, or has an inherent problem since it left the manufacturer.
There have been a number of reported cases of people suffering from microwave burns as a result of an oven malfunctioning and a user being exposed to radiation.
One woman suffered nerve damage to her arms and hands when the oven operated for five seconds with the door open. In another case, leakage from an oven, which had started to burn food, was believed to be responsible for damage to a woman's fingers.
Severe nerve damage was caused to the forearms of a woman who went to retrieve a dish, because the cooking cycle in the oven appeared to have finished, but she suffered pain, swelling and discoloured skin with underlying nerve damage to her arms which continued for a number of years.
Similar instances of microwave cookers still radiating power and not being automatically turned off as expected have been recorded in a number of other situations.
The pressures involved in the high temperatures generated in modern microwave cookers has occasionally resulted in containers exploding, causing personal injury, but usually this is a result of lack of care on the part of the user rather than a fault in fitting or manufacture.
Microwave cookers are designed to offer speedy and convenient cooking but, as with anything else involving electricity, the user must take sufficient care of themselves and how they uses the appliance in order not to damage their own health or that of others.
YouClaim for a product liability claim
A supplier of any type of manufactured item has a legal responsibility only to offer for sale an object which is fit for its purpose and safe to use, otherwise the business may become subject to a product liability claim if it can be proved that its actions or neglect led to an accident.
If you or a close loved one is the victim of a failure by a manufacturer, which has resulted in harm, you may benefit from advice by YouClaim's team of experienced, helpful personal injury lawyers.
All are supervised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and combine their professional expertise with an approachable manner.
Thanks to the internet, YouClaim can represent your interests wherever you live in the UK.
To find out more about our special product liability claim service, contact us through the website, start live e-chat, or call us on 0800 10 757 95.
