Gas Safety Awareness
iKBBI SUPPORTS SAFETY INITIATIVE The iKBBI recently supported Gas Safety Week which is organised annually to raise awareness of gas safety and to highlight the importance of consumers taking care of their gas appliances. It is co-ordinated by Gas Safe Register with support from across industry including retailers, manufacturers, consumer bodies and the public. iKBBI CEO, Damian Walters, recently recorded a video explaining what the organisation is doing to support this important safety initiative: CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO. He states “Twenty three million households in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Guernsey use gas for heating, hot water and cooking and yet we take it for granted that our boilers, cookers and gas fires are safe. Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. All are deadly!” The following facts are really quite staggering: ● Every year thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning. ● Gas Safe Register estimates around 1.1 million gas jobs are carried out every year by illegal fitters. 3 in 5 illegal jobs inspected were found to be unsafe, with 1 in 5 having to be immediately disconnected, as they were deemed to be too dangerous. ● 3 in 4 victims of illegal gas work hired the worker following a friend’s
20
www.ikbbi.org.uk
recommendation and 1 in 4 found them through an advert, wrongly assuming they were registered. In all cases the householder did not check the credentials of the worker before the work was carried out – you should always check the official Gas Safe Register. ● Although there is awareness that gas appliances need to be safety checked annually, 43% of Britons don’t do it, and 10% have gas appliances which have never been checked (Gas Safety Week Research 2011). Final word to Damian who comments, “Consumers really do need to take heed of the Gas Safety Week message. Kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installers, and iKBBI members in particular, should make their potential customers aware of the importance and potential ramifications of ignoring the advice."