Plumb and Parts Center is calling on the government to extend tough laws on audible carbon monoxide (CO) detectors to the whole of the UK, ahead of its annual Wise up to CO campaign, launched in April.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, around 50 people a year die from accidental CO poisoning in England and Wales, with around 4,000 admitted to hospital with symptoms,
CO has been labelled as a silent killer, as it is invisible, tasteless and odourless. Symptoms included headaches, nausea and dizziness, and can sometimes be confused with the flu.
The best way for people to know if there are dangerous levels of CO in a property is with an audible CO alarm, but currently in England and Wales there is no law that makes fitting these life saving devices compulsory.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have legislation in place to tackle CO poisoning, and Plumb and Part Center believes this should cover the whole of the UK.
Plumb and Parts’ marketing manager, Gail van Dijk, said:
“The number of people we lose every year because of CO poisoning is unacceptable. Especially, because it’s so avoidable.
“In Northern Ireland and Scotland, CO alarms are a legal requirement when new or replacement boilers, solid fuel or gas appliances are installed – and we’d like to see tougher regulations in England and Wales.
“Our Wise up to CO campaign is designed to drive home the message to installers, and through them the public, that relatively cheap and easy-to-install CO detectors will save lives.
“From April to July, our network of more than 500 branches will display external banners, safety cards, dispatch stickers, boiler stickers and information leaflets and put on special events.”
Gail added:
“We hope that as an industry we can come together, and make tragic CO deaths a thing of the past.”
The campaign has received the backing of the Gas Safe Register and leading manufacturers.
