By Mohammed Miah, Gas Safe registered heating engineer
This week is the 16th annual Gas Safety Week, a UK-wide campaign run by Gas Safe Register bringing together engineers, landlords, housing providers and homeowners to raise awareness of gas safety. This year's theme is 'Take No Chances', which is really the whole point in three words: gas safety problems are rarely dramatic until they suddenly are.
Why it matters
Every year, people in the UK are made seriously ill, or worse, by gas leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning and unsafe appliances, almost always from problems that had warning signs beforehand. An annual service, a working carbon monoxide alarm, and knowing what to check yourself catch the overwhelming majority of these before they become dangerous.
What we're covering this week
- How to actually spot a gas leak, beyond just the smell.
- Carbon monoxide, why it's more dangerous than a leak you can smell.
- What landlords are legally required to do every year, and the risk of getting it wrong.
- The warning signs an appliance needs checking, before your next scheduled service.
- How to verify an engineer is genuinely Gas Safe registered before they start work.
We'll be publishing one of these every day this week. If you've been putting off booking a service, or you're not sure when your landlord gas safety certificate is due, this is as good a prompt as any to sort it.
