The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources' National Institute of Technology and Standards said on the 11th it carried out a "home appliance safety-use campaign for older adults in rural areas" in Sangbaek Village, North Chungcheong. The event was joined by the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation (KESCO), the Jincheon County branch of the Korean Senior Citizens Association, and the Home Appliance Business Operators' Regular Consultative Council.
With rural villages pointed out as relatively vulnerable to home appliance fire accidents due to a lack of safety information infrastructure and a high proportion of older residents, the government, public institutions, and home appliance corporations joined forces to organize the campaign.
On the day, participating organizations visited the village senior center and homes of older adults to inspect home appliances and distribution boards (main breakers). They also distributed promotional materials on "home appliance safety-use rules" that older adults can practice in daily life, and carried out practical prevention activities such as replacing old power strips with new ones.
They asked consumers to: ▲ ensure the power consumption of electrical products does not exceed the rated capacity of the power strip ▲ clean dust that accumulates on power strips ▲ prevent power cords from bending or being pressed ▲ secure space around home appliances for ventilation ▲ replace consumables such as filters regularly.
The participating organizations said, "We hope this campaign helps strengthen home appliance safety in rural villages," adding, "We will continue activities to spread a safety culture for consumers in blind spots for safety."