Portable heater caused a burn? Are there rules governing this?

sam h

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Not sure if this is the right area or not, but here goes.

I bought a portable heater & someone burnt themsleve when the tipped against it. It is a panel heater thaty looks like a radiator - not one of those old ones which had electric bars in them. It is designed to stand alone on the floor or to be affixed to a wall.

I've reread the leaflet it came with & it doesn't mention anywhere that is may cause burns.

I won't be using it again & I'm fairly confident I will be able to get my money back, but I'm concerned about the lack of warning - I'd dread to think if a baby or young child tipped against it.

Are there certain rules governing such appliances?

thanks
 
I'm not being nasty here - but it's a heater - what did you expect? That type of heater gets extremely hot.
 
Well have a a few different portable heaters & none of them get so hot that they actually burn the skin.

I just want to make sure they put it on their manual as I would not have used it if I had been aware.
 
I must admit, I was a bit lost for words there too. I'm sitting in my office with a portable gas heater keeping me warm. It gets hot, there is a naked flame which admittedly you don't have, but I have it positioned in a safe place incase someone falls over near it. I'd probably switch it off completely if a young child came visiting. It's a fire, it gets hot.

This post made me think of the packet of nuts that has the warning "may contain nuts". It seems we still need such warnings though.

If you're concerned though, why not write to the manufacturer and suggest they mention on their leaflet/information booklet that the fire may get hot. (and I make that suggestion in all seriousness).
 
But Bubbly, this is not a heater with a flame. I would not have something like that in the house.

This looks like a radiator, you would not get a burn from tipping against a radiator. I have other portable heaters in a holiday home - I have moved them about while they have been on, I have never been recieved a burn.

I'm really not trying to be the safety police here.

The burn would be the similar to one you would get from touching an iron - there is a noticiable mark there one week later (dispite having had proper burn ointment put on). I would have thought it should have some warning that it gets so hot.

Anyway, I have been in contact with the manufacturer and they are taking it seriously. So thank you for your feedback.
 
You have a kettle, it will burn you with boiling water, there's no warning, and no flame
 
I acknowledged in my original post that my fire had a flame while yours didn't. The point I was trying to help you understand was that if you buy something designed to get hot i.e a fire, then it WILL get hot. I take precautions with all the hot things in my house be it fires, radiators, portable heaters, cookers, iron because they will burn.

I've had wall mounted and freestanding heaters you wouldn't want to touch because they will burn and leave a mark. I remember friends in the ambulance service telling me there was a lot of instances of young girls burning their backsides because they were leaning against heaters wearing a miniskirt.

I hope it goes well with the manufacturers anyway. I can't give health advice on here but do please check the treatment for burns for your future reference.
 
Well, maybe you had it on at max or something. Sure I know those radiators and they can get really hot - you just have to keep them at a lower temp. You'll also get a nasty burn from the outside of a kettle, some toasters, microwaved dishes, etc etc.
 
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