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GMB Fears That Raft Of Proposals In The Gas Industry Will Lead To More Consumer Deaths Due To Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Failure to make a single body responsible for protecting consumers will make matters worse as GMB publish new study on carbon monoxide deaths.
A new study by CO-Gas Safety has shown that 20 people have been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning since September 2006, from the following areas:
THREE READING TWO BRECON, WALES
ONE TUNBRIDGE WELLS ONE LOUGHBOROUGH
ONE NORTHAMPTON ONE SHROPSHIRE
ONE STREATHAM TWO BARNSLEY
ONE DONCASTER TWO STAFFORD
ONE WOLVERHAMPTON ONE SILSDEN, WEST YORKSHIRE
TWO WAKEFIELD ONE UNKNOWN AREA
Since 1995, a total of 465 people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning - data collected by CO-Gas Safety, www.co-gassafety.co.uk. CO-Gas Safety is an independent, registered charity.
This study coincides with a raft of proposals for change in the gas industry. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is proposing that the duties of the registration body for gas engineers and gas companies should be put out to tender. The job is currently done by CORGI (Council of Registered Gas Installers). Ofgem, the Regulator, is proposing that meter reading is deregulated and taken away from the Emergency Service Provider. Neither the government, nor the HSE, nor Ofgem are prepared to appoint a single body to take responsibility for carbon monoxide poisoning. The Emergency Service Providers, under current legislation, are able to evade their responsibilities and not deal with the problem at source. Consequently, faulty appliances are not repaired or removed, but simply switched off.
GMB warn that continuing deregulation could see more contractors entering the industry, which in turn could compromise safety as there would be less investment in staff training. GMB believes that the current high levels of training need to be maintained, so that, after working on gas systems, the problems with appliances associated with carbon monoxide can be identified and dealt with.
Gary Smith, GMB National Secretary for Commercial Services, said, "Deregulation broke up the gas industry up, with no single body having overall responsibility for carbon monoxide poisoning. The government says that they want to reduce deaths from carbon monoxide; the reality is that the deregulation driven by the Regulator could actually compromise safety. GMB want to ensure that levels of skills are maintained. We do not need more contractors in the industry, which is weakening command and control over health and safety.
Instead, the government needs to ensure that there is a single body which takes responsibility for dealing with carbon monoxide, and that there is a group of workers specifically qualified to deal with carbon monoxide poisoning. We at GMB believe that this should be the Emergency Service Provider, funded by the regulator. Unfortunately the Regulator is currently talking about cutting funding. The government plans are well intentioned, but these initiatives from the Regulator are likely to undermine their plans."
Stephanie Trotter, OBE President & Director of CO-Gas Safety said, "An Early Day Motion 1032 tabled by Colin Breed MP urges the government to implement the recommendations made by the Health and Safety Commission in 2000. These include a levy on the gas suppliers to fund awareness of the dangers of CO & for research and also a requirement that the gas emergency service carries and uses equipment to test appliances, (fires, boilers etc.) for CO. This EDM already has 101 signatures by MPs.
Please write to your MP and encourage all your friends to do the same.
We are now aiming for 309 MPs- one more than the support for Gordon Brown! It is high time the government acted to force the wealthy fuel industry to stop these unnecessary tragedies that also cost the ordinary taxpayer a fortune."
Sent: 14/06/2007
Email us direct at: repairs@londonheatingservices.co.uk
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