Gas Safe Register Offers Positive Advice To Holidaymakers!

by Danny Rodgers
(London, UK)

Many Britons will be aware of the importance of being gas safe while they’re at home. Installing a gas detector, making sure your boiler has an annual service and getting central heating insurance are just some of the recommended steps to keeping your home safe and secure.

However, it can be less easy to control the environment we’re in when we go on holiday, especially if we head abroad. Holidaymakers can be at a greater risk of gas poisoning, simply because they don’t know if the appliances in their accommodation have been checked. As tragic stories reported in the newspapers over the years have proved, problems with faulty gas appliances in hotels and apartments overseas have claimed the lives of numerous British holidaymakers.

With this in mind, Gas Safe Register, the official body for gas safety in the UK, has issued advice to those heading away this summer to help them keep an eye on their gas safety while on foreign soil.

First and foremost, holidaymakers are being encouraged to ask the owners of the accommodation whether the gas appliances have been checked and serviced – something that could be more likely if they’ve got central heating cover .They’re also encouraged to take a carbon monoxide alarm away with them on trips, ensuring that the model they pack is suitable for travel and won’t cause trouble as passenger control.

Further, the Gas Safe Register also advises that travelers do a spot check on all things related to home safety before heading abroad and know what to look for when it comes to dodgy appliances. Black marks and stains around the appliance, lazy orange flames on pilot lights (rather than crisp blue ones) and too much condensation can all be signs of a malfunctioning appliance.

Holidaymakers should also know the signs of CO poisoning – and be able to distinguish it from other holiday sicknesses such as food poisoning, dehydration or a hangover. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness, are the main symptoms of CO poisoning.

Commenting on the campaign, Gas Safe Register’s chief executive Paul Johnston said: “Gas safety regulations vary across the world and carbon monoxide alarms are very rare abroad. Just as you would pay attention to the safety of your own home, you must also consider the potential dangers of your holiday accommodation. By taking a few precautions you can prepare for a relaxing, enjoyable and gas safe holiday.”

Gas Safe Register Offers Positive Advice To Holidaymakers!

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