Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Ideal Boilers is supporting a campaign to change the law on carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, designed to stop needless deaths from the poisonous gas.
Plumbers merchant Plumb Center and Honeywell, who are leading the campaign, are calling for CO alarms to be mandatory when any carbon-burning appliance is installed in England and Wales; a law is already in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Around 40 people a year die from accidental CO poisoning in England and Wales – with around 4,000 admitted to hospital with symptoms, which could lead to brain damage and strokes, according to the Health and Safety Executive.
The campaign has launched an e-petition with government and needs to secure 100,000 names to force a debate in The House of Commons.
“Ideal Boilers is very happy to give its support to this critical campaign, one death from CO poisoning, is one too many,” said Shaun Edwards, managing director of Ideal.
“We work tirelessly to ensure the quality of every boiler we produce because customer safety is paramount. It is also vital that every carbon-burning appliance is regularly serviced and maintained to ensure its safety.
“However a CO alarm is a critical second line of defence and we would urge all installers to go to www.no-to-co.co.uk and pledge their support and ask their customers to do the same. We need to make this happen.
“We would also call on installers to recommend a CO alarm, whether it’s the law or not. It’s a small price to pay to secure a family’s safety,” he added.
