Gas Safety: Tourist dies in London hotel after suspected carbon monoxide leak

Safety standards for accommodation blocks and hotels are fresh in everyone’s mind after incidents such as the Grenfell tower disaster and other recent building fires. It has now been reported that a tourist has died in a hotel after a suspected carbon monoxide leak.

The BBC reported that The Mayflower Hotel in Kensington was evacuated after emergency services were called at about 13:50 GMT on Monday 5 March.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene. Another Spanish man in his 30s, is in a critical condition in hospital. Some 29 people were evacuated from the hotel, which remains closed. Police said initial carbon monoxide tests found the readings were high, although the investigation run by police and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's environmental health department has not yet concluded.

Gas safety tips and requirements to keep your business safe:

• Annual industry safety tests need to be conducted on all gas appliances and flues in the premises to ensure that safety requirements are met.
• Gas safety tests would need to be conducted by engineers who are registered with the Gas Safety Register.
• Find or check for a gas safety registered engineer in your area using the following link https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/or you could contact 0800 4085500.
• Awareness of symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning must be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. These include loss of consciousness, breathlessness, nausea, headaches, dizziness and collapse.
• Provision of audible Carbon Monoxide monitors in the location of gas appliances and equipment cannot be understated. This can prove to be a very valuable early warning system and could save your business from a possible catastrophe.
• Ensure that gas appliances are used for their intended purpose. Where gas cookers are used, ensure that adequate ventilation is provided. It is important that ventilation systems are not blocked or obscured.
• Whilst there is no actual requirement for routine gas tightness tests to be carried out, annual gas safety inspection tests do need to be carried out on commercial properties.

Instances where gas safety tightness tests are required:

In the event where the gas meter has either been replaced or damaged, gas safety tightness tests would need to be conducted by the provider.

For further information regarding gas safety requirements:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2451/made

https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/gas-safety-in-the-home/gas-safety-tips/

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-43310296

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