Lord Hunt calls for renewed action on gas safety

E096:06 02 October 2006

At a gas safety stakeholder forum today, Monday 2 October, hosted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Lord Hunt of Kings Heath will make clear that complacency on gas related carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is not an option.

Research commissioned from University College London by HSE to inform its gas safety review highlights the dangers of CO poisoning in people's homes, coupled with a lack of public awareness of the risks.

The early findings of the research include:

• 23% of homes had one or more defective gas appliance;
• 8% of homes were judged to be at risk of dangerous levels of CO;
• 45% of homes had received no information on the dangers of CO; and
• A higher prevalence of problem appliances was found in the homes of vulnerable people (young, old, those in receipt of benefits).

Opening the forum, Lord Hunt will call on the 100 plus delegates to do what is necessary to raise awareness. He will say:

'The early findings of this research show there is no room for complacency. It is simply not right for the current situation to continue. It is critical that people are made more aware of the risks of CO poisoning and how to avoid the dangers.

'It is essential that this lack of awareness is addressed. I call on gas safety stakeholders to work with HSE in this gas safety review to come up with a set a proposals that will put in place a modern and effective gas safety regime.'

Dr Ben Croxford, of University College London will present the emerging key findings from the 'Gas Appliance Check Project'. Nearly 600 homes in South East England were visited and a large survey of gas appliances was carried out over the summer of 2006.

The problems were mainly associated with the way homeowners and occupiers used the appliances and how they used available ventilation. This is an area that falls outside the Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998 that HSE enforces, and is why increasing CO awareness is so important. A problem gas appliance is a health risk that can be avoided with maintenance and awareness.

The Executive Summary from this research is available online: Gas appliance project - executive summary

The Forum will also receive a presentation from 'Frontline', the consultants appointed to liaise with stakeholders and to develop a range of options for modernising the domestic gas safety regime. The Forum will encourage a full discussion on the options with the aim of agreeing the top priorities for action. Next steps in this process will be for the Health and Safety Commission to consider the options and agree recommendations to Ministers in the New Year.

Notes for editors:

1. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is responsible for health and safety regulation in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive and local government are the enforcing authorities who work in support of the Commission. The HSC is sponsored by the Department of Work and Pensions and is ultimately accountable to Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE as Parliamentary Under Secretary (for Work and Pensions) (Lords). Lord Hunt's biographical details are at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/ministers/hunt.asp
2. Every year about 20-30 people die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning associated with domestic gas appliances, due mainly to these appliances not having been properly installed or maintained. HSE enforces the Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations 1998. These regulations place responsibilities on a wide range of people, including those installing, servicing, maintaining or repairing gas appliances and other gas fittings; as well as suppliers and users of gas systems/appliances. Statutory obligations are placed on landlords to maintain gas appliances that they own. But owner/occupiers do not have duties under these regulations to maintain or use their gas appliances safely.
3. An analysis of gas incidents over the eight years to 2003/04 shows that 64 per cent of fatalities were attributed to the action or lack of action of an occupier or a relative.
4. The law requires that anyone who works on gas appliances must be competent, and if they are doing the work as a business, i.e. employer or self-employed, they must be CORGI registered. HSE has prosecuted 130 people over the last four years for impersonating a CORGI registered installer or carrying out work while not registered.
5. The HSE review, announced on 15 February 2006 (see http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2006/e06014.htm), builds on the HSC Fundamental Review of Gas Safety in 2000. HSE recognises that time has moved on, particularly in the light of HSC's 'Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond', published in February 2004.
6. As part of the Review, HSE commissioned research to examine the scale of CO problems in people's homes. Gas related fatalities and incidents reported to HSE have shown a downward trend and relatively few in the context of the usage of domestic gas. But there is concern among some stakeholders that this might represent under-reporting, due to possible misdiagnosis of illness and wrongful determination of cause of death. The research is aimed at clarifying the actual level of risk arising from CO and faulty gas appliances. Emerging findings of the research will be presented at the forum today by the report's author, Dr Ben Croxford of University College London to inform discussion on the Review options and the way forward .
7. Further information on domestic gas safety issues can be found on the HSE web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/index.htm

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