New Partnership To Help Reduce Carbon Monoxide Incidents

In 2011, the Gas Safety Trust will include incident reports concerning carbon monoxide that pertain to oil and solid fuel heating installations in addition to the reporting of natural and liquid petroleum gas heating installations incidents. The reports were be compiled using information provided by HETAS, the official body of solid fuel domestic heating appliances, fuels and services and OFTEC, the official body responsible for keeping track of professionals registered to install oil fired appliances. The evaluated information will provide a primary source of statistics that will report on all of the key carbon-based fuels to help further improve safety and target investment on carbon monoxide incident prevention.

Starting in July 2010, HETAS and OFTEC will begin collecting information relating to all carbon monoxide incidents in their relevant industries that will be included on the Gas Safety Trust’s Carbon Monoxide Report, which will be available in October 2011. OFTEC’s Inspection and Service Manager, Mr Adrian Lightwood, said: “Its findings will provide an important benchmark against which we can compare the numbers and causes of carbon monoxide incidents in the future.”

Gas Safety Trust Manager, Mr Nigel Dumbrell stated: “Our partnership with OFTEC and HETAS represents a huge step towards understanding and reducing carbon monoxide incidents nationwide. For the first time, we will be able to assess more effectively the causes of carbon monoxide incidents across all fossil fuels used for heating and cooking in the home environment. In particular it will enable us to evaluate more comprehensively the issues of most concern and especially those individuals most at risk.”