It’s a natural instinct for most of us, if not all, to want to protect the health and safety of ourselves and our families. Yet when it comes to the potentially fatal risk from carbon monoxide, it seems many Brits are still completely in the dark.
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This Gas Safety Week, Gas Safe Register has found that people are much more likely to own a smoke alarm (76%) than an audible carbon monoxide alarm (47%) despite the fact that carbon monoxide (CO) is known as the silent killer as you cannot see, taste or smell it.
Considering 11% freely admit they have never had their gas appliances checked at all, there is a clear need for more awareness of the dangers gas leaks from faulty appliances can cause.
Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer, you cannot see it, taste it or smell it, leaving people at risk of only realizing they have a problem once it’s too late.
The latest available statistics by awareness campaign group Project SHOUT say poisoning by the odourless and colourless gascauses around 50 deaths each year in the UK.
Industry body Gas Safe Register warns against checking or working on gas appliances yourself or using an unregistered engineer or workman. Currently only a fifth of people check an engineer’s ID card on arrival at their home.
And while 47% of people say they have their appliances checked annually by a registered engineer, 17% of people admit they take no steps to protect themselves from unsafe appliances – potentially putting over 10 million of us at risk.
Jonathan Samuel, chief executive of Gas Safe Register said: “Carbon monoxide poisoning is known as the silent killer because you can’t see it, taste it or smell it. Our research shows that lots of people aren’t aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning or the potential warning signs that your gas appliance isn’t working safely. This Gas Safety Week we’re helping people find out more about how to keep their homes gas safe and reminding everyone to not cut corners when it comes to getting their gasappliances checked on an annual basis.”
Gas Safe Register recommends that people get their gas appliances checked on an annual basis to ensure gas appliances are working safely and efficiently. However nearly a quarter (24%) of the 2,000 UK adults polled don’t follow this guidance and could be using illegal gas fitters as one in 10 (11%) said they don’t get their gas appliances checked, 8% don’t know if their engineer is GasSafe registered (8%) and 5% try to maintain their gas appliances themselves.
Gas Safe Register recommends six simple steps to keep our families safe and warm in our homes:
- Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Double check both sides of your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card to know that they’re registered and qualified to work on your gas appliances.
- Have all gas appliances safety checked every year.
- Familiarise yourself with the six signs of carbon monoxide poisoning; headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.
- Check appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly, e.g. black marks or stains on or around the appliance, lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones and condensation around the room.
- Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm for a second line of defence against carbon monoxide poisoning.