Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week

As part of my ‘normal’ work, I receive a regular newsletter from the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), which this week included an item about today (Tuesday) been the launch date of the UK’s first Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.

The ‘campaign’, which is being launched at the House of Commons today, and will run until Friday 8th December is been run by ‘Co-awareness’, who are one of only two small organisations covering the whole of the U. K, working to raise awareness about this silent killer.

The group, which is a not-for-profit organisation based in Cheshire, is working to raise awareness of the dangers of Carbon monoxide, and will be calling on the Government, regulators and industry to tighten procedures for inspection and maintenance of equipment. They are also calling for improved training of installers and giving them access to CO monitors.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning, which is usually the result of poorly maintained boilers or other domestic appliances, is thought to kill 50 people in Britain every year and death rates are rising, with the ‘tragedy’ hitting home locally in January 2005, when two Glossopdale residents died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

As part of the work to upgrade central heating on Gamesley last year, all properties that received the upgrade were fitted with a Carbon Monoxide monitor, which sounds an alarm if carbon monoxide is present. However if you’re home isn’t currently covered please look at taking precautions to protect yourself and your familiy, by making sure that your domestic appliances are maintained and that Carbon Monoxide alarms are fitted in your homes

More information is available at the campaigns website click www.co-awareness.co.uk.