Gas Safety Week 2020
Gas safety matters every week of the year, but 14-20 September 2020 is a chance to put special emphasis on the issue and make sure as many people as possible are aware of it.
Co-ordinated by Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas, it helps to boost awareness of the risks of gas and how to spot them. Old, badly installed or poorly serviced boilers and other gas appliances can lead to gas leaks, fires, even explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide can be extremely dangerous – it’s invisible, tasteless and has no odour, but it can kill in minutes, and affects over a thousand people in the UK every year.
Making sure your gas appliances are properly serviced and renewed goes a long way to ensuring the safety of your home and family. Here are a few simple checks that anyone can do:
- Get a boiler service every year. Each of your gas appliances should be checked each year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. This applies to domestic and commercial appliances.
- Regularly check for signs your appliances may not be working correctly. These might include lazy yellow or orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the boiler and other appliances and more condensation in the room than there should be.
- Be aware of the six signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. These include headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.
- Make sure your engineer is Gas Safe registered. You can search the list of qualified engineers at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500.
- Ask to see your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card. Make sure that they’re fully qualified for any work you require. This information should be on the back of the card.
- Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert you if there is carbon monoxide in your home. Ask your engineer.
