A self-employed gas engineer has claimed Fife Council’s policy on the fitting of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors could be putting lives at risk in its rented properties.
Stewart Tainsh said that during a routine service of the installed room-sealed boiler situated in the bedroom cupboard of his 23-year-old daughter Keri’s council flat in Tayport, family members asked for a CO alarm.
But he said they were informed that, due to the type of boiler, they did not require a CO alarm. As the engineer representing the council was a qualified gas engineer, they assumed the information given to them was accurate.
But Mr Tainsh, who later intervened on his daughter and ex-wife Shonagh’s behalf, has objected to the council’s position, after he was told on the phone that CO alarms are only fitted to open-flue appliances such as fires and back boilers. Mr Tainsh, who now lives in Stirling, said although room-sealed appliances are safer than open-flued appliances, they are still dangerous and CO alarms should be fitted.
He said he was told by the council that it follows Gas Safe guidelines on the fitting of CO alarms. But he said Gas Safe has never stipulated that CO alarms should only be fitted to open-flue appliances.
He added: “This was confirmed by my personally calling Gas Safe and informing them of Fife Council’s policy. Gas Safe were horrified.
“As a Gas Safe-registered engineer, I believe the policy of the council in this matter is putting lives at risk not only those of tenants but neighbouring households, due to secondary poisoning through voids, ceilings and floors.
“The council is also informing their engineers to tell tenants with room-sealed appliances they do not need CO alarms as the appliance fitted does not require one, implying to the tenant that all is perfectly safe and will not produce CO shocking.
“As a Gas Safe engineer and a member of the public, I am shocked that there seems to be a huge safety risk to the public and that Gas Safe has been used as a reference for data that they have never approved.”
The Gas Safe Register is the official list of gas engineers who are registered to work safely and legally on gas appliances in the UK. It recommends that an alarm, which can be purchased from hardware stores for £15, is fitted in each room with a gas appliance.
It states: “For the safety of you and your family, it is advisable to fit a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm in your home. Just like a smoke alarm, which alerts you to the presence of smoke, a carbon monoxide detector will alert you to the presence of CO.
“The difference with CO is that it is invisible and has no smell or taste, so you might not realise it is there. Smoke alarms do not detect carbon monoxide.”
Fife council’s position on the installation of CO detectors was explained by Keith Brown, maintenance and improvement team leader, who said: “Since October 2013 there is a general requirement under building regulations to install a CO detector if a carbon-fuelled appliance is installed in any dwelling. However, this is not retrospective and CO detectors are not fitted during routine services or upon request.
“Fife Council complies with these regulations and installs CO detectors at the same time as a range of essential works on homes, including electrical rewiring, replacement heating and kitchen replacements.”