Product safety office starts a study of tumble dryer fire risks and asks for evidence by 1 December
The study will test heat pump, condenser and vented dryers across brands and price points after fire reports pointed to the appliances as a possible cause.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has begun a study of tumble dryers sold in the UK, after a number of fire notifications identified the appliances as a potential cause of fires in homes.
The regulator, part of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, published a call for evidence on Wednesday. It is asking stakeholders for published or unpublished information, and the deadline for responses is Tuesday 1 December 2026.
The work covers all three common designs: heat pump, condenser and vented dryers, at different prices and from different manufacturers. OPSS plans product testing and an engineering comparison of the parts inside, looking at:
- how fires could start and spread
- safety-critical design and construction
- how fires are detected, limited or contained
- the supply chain
- how easily the machines can be repaired
OPSS says it will not publish the brand details of appliances it examines.
Sending evidence
Submissions should say where the evidence came from, its scope and date, which product types, models, production periods and markets it covers, how it was gathered and its limitations. A contact name for follow-up questions is requested, as is a note of anything confidential. Case studies that include other people's personal details should be anonymised.
Responses go by email to OPSS.enquiries@businessandtrade.gov.uk with the subject line "Tumble dryer product study - stakeholder evidence". Respondents can ask for a direct discussion with the regulator instead.
Checking a dryer you already own
The call for evidence does not include advice for owners. Anyone who wants to know whether their model is already the subject of a safety warning can search the government's Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls service, run by OPSS. It can be filtered by product category, including electrical appliances, by risk level and by the action taken, such as a recall. Email alerts and an Atom feed are also available.
