Voice of the
Importance of raising awareness of the dangers of CO poisoning The Gas Safety Trust, established in 2005 as a registered charitable body, has become the UK’s leading fuel safety charity with the key objectives of further improving fuel safety for the public and industry throughout the United Kingdom and reducing the incidents of death and serious injury from carbon monoxide exposure. A new Gas Safety Trust poll finds shockingly low understanding of the symptoms and characteristics of carbon monoxide poisoning An online poll of 2,000 people carried out by OnePoll on behalf of the Gas Safety Trust found that despite a number of recent high profile campaigns, only 13% of the
people questioned were able to identify the main symptoms and characteristics of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The poll also found that the under 25s were the least able to identify all of the symptoms and characteristics and that under a third had an audible CO alarm. It was also discovered that over one third of homeowners had not had their boiler serviced in the last 12 months whilst just under a quarter of renters knew whether
their appliances had undergone a landlord’s safety check. The danger is - with no taste or smell - CO is undetectable to the human senses and because symptoms are often mistaken for other ailments such as flu, food
poisoning or hangovers, its presence can go unnoticed until it’s too late. Even low levels over a few hours can be as lethal as high levels over a short amount of time, causing lasting damage to your health. Although you can’t see, smell or taste carbon monoxide, there are signs that indicate there
may be a strong risk of CO being produced: • Black soot marks or staining on or around gas fire burners or on walls near cookers, boilers or gas fires
• Excessive condensation in the room where the appliance is installed • If you are using a gas appliance, it should have a crisp blue flame, such as a pilot light. If it turns to a lazy orange flame, the appliance may not be working correctly
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Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include: • Nausea • Dizziness • Breathlessness • Headaches • Loss of consciousness • Collapse One useful indicator that carbon monoxide may be the cause is if symptoms disappear when you leave your home and reappear when you’re at home. Commenting on the polls’ findings, Chris Bielby, Chair of the Gas Safety Trust said:
… despite a concerted effort by industry and others, there is still a worrying lack of awareness about the dangers …
“We were disappointed to find that despite a concerted effort by industry and others, there is still a worrying lack of awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide. With the Department of Health estimating 40 deaths per year from carbon monoxide, it is essential that people get their appliances checked on an annual basis by an appropriately qualified engineer (Gas Safe Register in the case of natural gas appliances) and that every household has an audible carbon monoxide alarm. Initiatives over the last 1020 years have made great progress but with an emerging trend of fatalities from barbecues and generators, where they are used in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation such as tents, it is clear that we have much further to go to get the message across to the public.”
Glee 2014 Glee welcomes a strong International
presence at 2014 show As the leading showcase for the garden retail industry, Glee, an i2i Event, is home to a wide selection of leading brands from the UK and abroad In total Glee 2014 will be welcoming over 70 international brands from across the
globe, ranging from Algeria, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, France, North America, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands. This year the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has teamed up with i2i Events and
Glee to offer visitors and exhibitors alike unprecedented access to their international trade expertise. Over 30,000 SMEs grew their business overseas in 2012/13 thanks to the support of UKTI, and at Glee, UK garden retailers and designers can get the advice they need to start their export journey. Gardenex will be organizing and manning the International Buyers Centre at Glee
2014 where the UKTI International Business Zone will host a number of UKTI representatives. These will include International Trade Advisers and Commercial Officers, who will be on hand to provide all levels of export advice. Offering knowledge of the garden retail sector and the opportunities around the world for UK businesses, those wishing to start expanding their business overseas or looking to continue their growth into new international markets will be able to get advice from the UKTI.
12 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
Industry
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