Ask yourself...
Do you have a working smoke or carbon monoxide alarm in your home? Hopefully the answer is yes in what is becoming an even stronger society in gas safety awareness. If the answer is no, then you definitely need to be aware of the new laws which may be making their way over to England! The new laws are even stricter and are now up and running in Scotland. They state that every home in the country must have a smoke alarm fitted in the living room and in areas such as hallways and landings. There must also be carbon monoxide alarms where there are fixed combustion appliances. When put into perspective, it really doesn't sound like a lot to ask for, but then why doesn't everyone already have these in their homes? We appreciate not everyone will always be as clued up on the subject as those on Gas Courses, but with the never ending stories of gas related incidents, it's time the topic gets even more attention.
There have been strict rules for landlords and new build homes for a while, but such strict rules will apply to homes throughout Scotland as of February 2021. A spokesperson involved in the industry of Gas voiced his opinion on the subject and addresses the associated risks:
Here's what he had to say:
“While these new regulations are to be welcomed and are ahead of England and Wales, they still do not go far enough. While it is easy to realise if a smoke alarm is working when you burn the toast, a CO alarm is an entirely different matter because the sensor may be defective and therefore incapable of detecting an CO that might be present in a room. You can’t fully test a CO alarm without exposing it to a test gas.”
The spokesperson's experience within the gas industry delves from holding a position on the British Standards Committee for carbon monoxide alarms. His time spent within the sector allowed him to hold exclusive knowledge and facts which the average person may not know. He recently reported some figures which may alarm you (pardon the pun) and will certainly have you considering whether or not such rules should come over England and the rest of the UK.
Some scary figures!
“Research has shown that around 15% of CO alarms are defective before they even get out of the box and a further 45% have been found to fail within three to four years – despite the 10 year warranties given by the manufacturers with their alarms. Just because the battery is working does not mean you are safe. Without a fully functioning CO sensor, the alarm is not going to warn a homeowner or tenant that they are at risk from deadly CO. There are currently more than 30 million CO alarms in the UK that could be providing consumers with a false sense of security and putting lives at risk.”
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That was news to us too! After reading that then surely more needs to be done regarding the quality checks carbon monoxide alarms go through when manufactured? Perhaps stricter rules need to be introduced there as well as making the new laws in Scotland apply to the rest of the UK too? If it means less incidents and death caused then why not? Can you think of a reason as to why these laws shouldn't be introduced? Some say it's a no brainer.
Let us know what you think! We know that students on our Gas Courses would most certainly agree with the new laws and it could be just a matter of time before we see them crossed over to our country!