This is the final week of the APPCOG summer carbon monoxide campaign.

The bank holiday is coming up so we ask you to take special care with regard to BBQs, gas lights (e.g. in tents or boats) and exhaust fumes from cars, lorries etc. and particularly from generators. Don’t ever allow fumes from generators to spill into tents – we’ve recorded a death from that.

Please don’t put a used BBQ in a tent to ‘tidy up’ or prevent tripping. It may look out and be cold to the touch at the top but there may be embers still active inside. We’ve recorded a death and serious injury from that. Try to find some way of disposing of it safely. We suggest putting it in a bowl and damping it down with water to make sure it’s completely out but even then, be careful disposal doesn’t cause any problems. 

Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, please arrange a maintenance visit for your carbon fuelled appliances e.g. gas boiler, cooker, fire etc. With gas the engineer must by law by Gas Safe Registered. Check the engineer on the Gas Safe Register. See https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/

Please have chimneys & flues swept and checked.

Ensure adequate ventilation to make sure that there is enough oxygen at the flame to prevent carbon monoxide in the first place.

Well maintained appliances with clean and clear flues are not only safer but are more energy efficient.

As an extra safeguard, please buy a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm to EN or BS 50291. Please get it out of the box and read the instructions about how to get it going and where to put it. Battery ones are easy to set up and last about 10 years. We recommend ones with sealed batteries so you are not tempted to take them out and give them to someone who needs a battery and then forget to replace them. 

If your CO alarm alarms with a loud noise similar to a smoke alarm, please DON’T IGNORE IT. CO alarms are set to alarm at a level you should not ignore – please get out of the house and ring the gas emergency number 0800 111999. The gas emergency service doesn’t test the air or appliances for CO as standard (although Cadent has undertaken about 300 investigations into CO for vulnerable customers) but they will turn off the gas, open the windows and doors  (if you haven’t already done so) and make sure you are safe.

We hope you’ve had a great summer but we want you to have a safe and healthy autumn and winter too.

Email from Laura Fatah, Manager of APPCOG on 16.08.22

I am sorry to report that a safety warning was issued yesterday by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) (part of BEIS) on the use of gas grills on certain Belling, Stoves and New World gas range cookers manufactured by Glen Dimplex Home Appliances (GDHA).

If the gas grill is used with the door closed there is a risk that dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can build up, posing a risk of serious injury or death to those within the immediate environment.

Please do share this warning with your networks, more information is available in the full warning statement and there is also a press release.

The APPCOG has posted this tweet.

Thank you for your attention on this urgent matter.

The Focus for Week 6 is accessing support, this is particularly pressing with the cost of living crisis and the energy bills increase that has been in the media these last few weeks. Brief notes below, more to follow on Monday!

Key webpages to link to:

• GDN support for customers: Find My GDN
• Help and Support page on the campaign website: Help & Support — Carbon Monoxide: Alarms Save Lives (coalarmssavelives.com)
• Government support schemes: Cost of Living Support – Get government support to help with the cost of living
• National Energy Action: Warm and Safe Homes Advice – National Energy Action (NEA)

Quick Support Actions:

1. Like and re-tweet Barry’s opening message for week 5
2. Follow UKHSA
3. Print and display the campaign poster (attached) – take a selfie to share! Bonus points if you can put the poster up in a busy area, and even more if you can talk to someone about it.
4. Think of some one you know from a vulnerable group (vulnerable groups: pregnant women, children and babies, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions) and send them a message to tell them about the new alarm laws and make sure they are protected.

Highlights last week

• Eddie Hughes MP shared may of the campaign posts online (1 August, 2 August, 28 July)
• The APPCOG published a summary on the new guidance for alarms in England, please read and share
• Visit England Biz’s tweet received over 40 RTs – an amazing achievement!
• APPCOG tweets are being shared and liked by Landlord Today and Letting Agent Today – two key accounts for private landlords (pls follow them!). Both outlets also published articles on the new alarms guidance this week.

From Monday, Week 5 will focus on vulnerable groups: pregnant women, children and babies, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. In addition, we have included an asset for homeowners and another video, this time aimed at those living in Scotland. Both these new assets are included in the weekly download: Download Campaign Asset Kit — Carbon Monoxide: Alarms Save Lives (coalarmssavelives.com)

• Please tag @UKHSA in your posts – the tweet shared by UKHSA in CO Awareness Week (last November) generated over a million impressions, it would be amazing if we could support them to recognise the campaign this summer!

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance for landlords and tenants – GOV.UK PUBLISHED on Friday 29 July 2022, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have published their guidance on the new regulations for England – just in time for the theme this week!

• For landlords and tenants: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance for landlords and tenants – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• For local authorities: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance for local authorities – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Approved Document J guidance: Approved Document J 2022 amendments: circular 03/2022 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Quick Support actions:

• Share our post about the new alarms guidance!
• Follow the campaign TikTok Account account here.
• Tell one person you know – either a tenant or a landlord – about the new laws so they can get ready

Parliamentarians in the media

• Last Wednesday, Alex Cunningham MP delivered a fantastic interview, live on BBC Radio Tees with Scott Makin! Listen again here, the interview starts at 1:15:30 in online the recording (available for 4 weeks)
• Last Monday, Barry Sheerman MP was featured in Huddersfield Hud on the APPCOG’s campaigning for the incoming regulations – with a quote from Steve Dacre at NGN.

There has also been lots of brilliant radio coverage featuring a range of stakeholders – thanks so much to everyone who has contributed as a spokesperson, this is a great way to get our message out to the public! A full report on all media will be circulate once the campaign has closed.

This week are focusing on the new government guidance for the incoming regulations in England. You can download the Assets for Week 4 now!

Week 3: Carbon Monoxide Alarms Save Lives

For the third week of the campaign, we are going deeper into the alarms messaging, and informing people why they need to buy the right kind of alarm and get to know how to use it. The Alarms 1-page guide reviews key features to consider when choosing an alarm.

Some of the more intricate messages about alarms are detailed and can vary between products, in this instance we have suggested people read the manufacturers guide, which will usually be available online.

In addition to the statement from Baroness Finlay, I have attached a position guide image from HETAS, which may be useful to share if you think this would be relevant to your audience.

Thanks so much to everyone for making a huge noise about carbon monoxide alarms!

Let’s keep it up to make sure everyone hears our message!

The full assets for week 3 are now available for download: Download Campaign Asset Kit — Carbon Monoxide: Alarms Save Lives (coalarmssavelives.com)