Keeping you safe in the bathroom

Safety is one of our primary concerns when it comes to designing products for your bathroom.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) states “there are almost three million accidents in the home every year*”. Whilst there are no specific figures on how many of these occur in the bathroom, RoSPA do single out scalding as a major cause, with “13 under five year olds (sic) severely burnt or scalded in the home every day.*”

This is why we take you and your family’s safety very seriously indeed when it comes to designing, producing and testing our products.

Thermostatic valves

Scalding is a very real risk when it comes to using hot water supplies. That’s why we recommend a thermostatic valve when purchasing any new shower. Every one of our thermostatic valves, from our economy range, right up to the designer valves we sell, must follow strict quality assurances. Each valve contains an automatic cut-out device, meaning the valve will switch itself off if the cold water supply were to fail, which brings you genuine peace of mind, especially if younger children or elderly relatives use your shower.

Whether you choose a concealed thermostatic valve, like the Cubik square model pictured, or an exposed valve, safety is our top priority

Cool touch valves

Of course, where hot water is involved you have to be careful. Taps and exposed valves which run hot water for any extended duration can get very hot indeed, and certainly aren’t good when coming into contact with exposed skin.

Our new range of cool touch valves have been designed to do exactly what they say on the tin, remaining cool, even after extended use.

Of course, it isn’t just the risk of scalding you need to look out for in the bathroom. That's why you'll find the following safety features included throughout our product range:

Safety glass

All our shower enclosures, wet room panels and shower screens contain toughened safety glass, ranging from 4mm up to 10mm in thickness. Each and every one of these products must be tried and tested for safety. All glass must comply with the relevant European standards, which in this case are BS EN 14428:2015 - Shower enclosures. Functional requirements and test methods and BS EN 12150:2015 - Glass in buildings. Thermally toughened soda lime silicate glass.

To comply with these standards, the glass has been designed in such a way that, if impacted hard enough, it will shatter into many small fragments, rather than smashing and leaving jagged shards which could have the potential to cause much more serious injuries.

Enjoy stress-free showering with this walk in shower enclosure, containing 8mm safety glass

Soft close toilet seats

Of course, it isn’t just showers where little accidents can occur. If you are slightly older, you will recall the rattly wooden toilet seats we used to have in our 1980s bathrooms. One slight slip could end up with trapped fingers - or sometimes even worse!

Not these days however. The majority of our most popular toilets come complete with a soft close seat as standard. Not only do they help prevent trapped fingers, they also reduce noise and wear and tear, so your home can remain an oasis of calm.

Electrical products

As our blog post on electrical product advice explains, water and electricity don’t mix. There are specific rules and regulations when it comes to using electrical products in the bathroom, and electrical work should never, ever be attempted by someone who isn’t qualified to do so.

Our illuminated mirrors and illuminated mirror cabinets are IP44 rated, meaning they are protected from water ingress to a certain degree and are suitable for use in zone 2 or beyond in your bathroom.

You should always seek advice when it comes to siting your mirrors, but the image below should give you a good indication of where they can be used.