After complaints to the manufacturer about the front fascia panel and knobs getting far too hot (oven door closed), one of Cannon's own engineers has now tested my 3-month old cooker and found the front temperature measured well below the maximum allowed, according to BS EN60/335/216 Section 11.101.
He showed me his printed sheet with all the max temperatures that engineers have to go by (vitreous enamel, metal & paint, glass & ceramic, plastic). 'Vitreous enamel' is max 90c including ambient temp in room of 25c. After
30 mins at Mk5 (200c), he read "an average of 53c", - one spot showed 68c.
With the max allowed of 90c, my reading at 53c may sound relatively cool but it's not - you practically burn your hands and fingers if you touch the fascia (and plastic knobs) for more than a few seconds - and that's why I contacted them in the first place.
How those (HSE?) people that set the maximum temperatures arrive at 90c for vitreous enamel, beats me. If the cooker was on at Mk 5 for half an hour or more in any public showroom, I bet there'd be a few 'very hot and not-to-touch' warnings around.
(Btw, other than the above, I've no complaints about the cooker - it's lovely)