25 October 2004 - Carbon Monoxide Inspections to Identify Homes at Risk in County of Kirklees
The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of a young 10 year old boy, Dominic Rodgers, from the Kirklees district Fartown, has prompted the launch of this campaign. It is thought that young Dominic died as a result of carbon monoxide seeping through the floorboards of his room as he lay asleep.
The campaign will identify possible homes of similar construction to Dominics' home, where the risk to occupants of carbon monoxide poisoning may be prevalent and aims at raising awareness of this type of gas and it's potency.
HM Inspector of Health and Safety, Mr. David Powell commented:
"However unlikely the combination of events were that may have led to Dominic's tragic death, we need to be sure they can never happen again.
Working with Kirklees Council, we now have a team of trained housing inspectors who will survey the 17,000 homes in this area and visit those identified as being at risk to carry out a series of visual checks on things like the positions of flues and the condition of walls and ceilings within passageways. The homes we are particularly keen to find are those which, like Dominic's, are back-to-back and have flues located in their passageways.
The inspectors will determine whether further checks or remedial works are necessary and help householders to ensure the work gets done.
However, we are advising anyone with a flue terminal in a passageway not to panic. If there are smells of gas or fumes inside your house, you should call the Transco emergency number which is 0800 111 999.
Anyone who is concerned about the safety of a gas installation in their home should ask a CORGI registered gas engineer to inspect the installation. To find a CORGI registered engineer, or to report an unsafe installation, CORGI can be contacted on 0870 401 2300."
Article by Alexandra Johnston
