With Home Safety Week just around the corner (14 – 21 June), now is the perfect opportunity to take a look at the key aspects of staying safe in your home. Here we take a look at the importance of having working alarms, including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as routine gas and electrical testing.

Initially promoted by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Home Safety week focuses on alarms as a first alert system in the event of a fire or a carbon monoxide risk.

The real risk of fire and electrical safety

More than 200 people each year in the UK die from a house fire, with the majority of fatalities occurring between 10pm and 6am, when people are asleep. There are approximately 37,000 house fires a year in the UK with most caused by electrical equipment misuse, such as cooking appliances or faulty electrical goods.

Here at The Pioneer Group, we take electrical safety in our properties seriously, by sending out a qualified electrician to run checks and ensure each property meets the national standards for electrical safety. Electrical installations are inspected and tested by a qualified engineer at least every five years and any routine works are carried out quickly.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) is very dangerous and can be fatal. It is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ as unlike a fire, you cannot see, taste or smell it and it can come from poorly maintained equipment such as cookers, heaters and central heating boilers. CO poisoning occurs when you breathe in CO as it replaces the oxygen in your bloodstream. Caused by faulty gas appliances, CO poisoning can produce the following symptoms:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Breathlessness
• Collapse
• Loss of consciousness

Carbon monoxide kills around 50 people a year in the UK and is the main cause of accidental poisoning in the home with over 600 people being admitted to hospital as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning each year.

In order to make your home safe from Carbon Monoxide, make sure your appliances are installed and serviced annually by, a competent Gas Safe Registered Engineer.

In the event of a fire or CO leak, correctly fitted and regularly tested alarms are key to saving lives, affording you, precious time to make your way to safety.

Gas safety

Gas safety is paramount for residents to practice. Gas appliances gone unchecked can pose a real risk to your health and safety. All tenants of The Pioneer Group have annual free of charge gas servicing, per legal requirements, through our partner company, Status Heating Ltd to help keep your home safe.

Warning Signs

Look out for these signs. If you spot any of them, you’ll want to get your gas appliance serviced straight away:

• Your appliance isn’t working properly
• It produces a floppy yellow flame rather than a crisp blue one
• Black/brown marks on or around the appliance
• The boiler pilot light keeps going out
• Increased condensation inside the windows

If you have any concerns that this represents any appliance in your household, call your landlord right away. Tenants of The Pioneer Group can contact us on 0121 748 8100.

In the case of a fire of always call the fire service on 999 and in case of a gas leak, the emergency number is 0800 111 999.

We want to reassure residents that our teams are taking the utmost care to carry out these important services as quickly and efficiently as possible during COVID-19. This includes:

• Wearing PPE
• Only accessing rooms with appliances need to be checked
• Ensuring all areas are thoroughly wiped down in accordance with HSE practice.

If you are a Pioneer Group Housing resident and have any questions or concerns or need to move the appointment or any queries or concerns about gas and electrical safety, please contact the team on 0121 748 8100.