Legislation

Proposed Building Regulations due to take effect later this year will - for the first time in the UK - demand CO alarms in certain new homes, aiming to curb deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning. But these proposals do not go far enough and fail to learn lessons from existing requirements for smoke alarms that have saved lives in domestic fires.

If implemented as proposed, changes to the Building Regulations, Part J Approved Document will require a carbon monoxide alarm in a room where a new or replacement solid fuel appliance is installed, except for certain biomass appliances.

In contrast, a growing number of American states demand CO alarms in homes with any form of fossil fuelled appliances or integral garages.

The Part J changes result from a research project involving cost-benefit analysis but do not apply to installations using gas, LPG or other fuels. They assume that, because gas heaters and boilers have secondary safety systems, there is minimal risk and also that gas cookers (without secondary safety) cannot generate problematic levels of CO. Sadly, recent deaths attributed both to new gas heaters and misused gas cookers prove otherwise.

But more fundamentally, the proposals assume that sources of CO can be predicted easily, that all installations and related building work have been carried out correctly and occupants’ actions will not create an unpredicted risk.

Again, a number of recent cases show these assumptions to be flawed. A more responsible approach can be seen elsewhere in the Building Regulations dealing with another killer in the home – fire.

Gerald Jones, Kidde Fyrnetics and Firex business manager of Kidde Safety Europe, said: “Despite debate about some of its detailed provisions, in principle, Part B does not attempt to predict specific sources of fire but covers all situations with mandatory smoke alarms as an effective, low-cost means of detecting and warning of fire irrespective of its source. By its very nature, carbon monoxide justifies exactly the same approach and Part J should demand CO alarms in every new home.

“Another lesson learnt in the current Part B is that hard-wired mains powered alarms with backup - preferably sealed-in - are essential to remove the risk of battery removal, particularly in rented homes. Worryingly, draft Part J calls for battery powered only CO alarms, substantially adding to the risk of them failing to operate.”

Looking to the future, with draft Part J there is a sense that, because Building Regulations apply largely to new homes, there will be negligible risk from CO. But the drive for energy efficiency in housing, reflected in Parts L and F, as well as the Code for Sustainable Homes for example, could make things worse with air-tight construction reducing air movement into buildings and exacerbating the impact of carbon monoxide.

A requirement for CO alarms in all new homes via the Building Regulations is an inexpensive, responsible measure – but it is not the whole story. Similar measures are justified for existing, notably rented, homes, although they will have to come from other legislation than Building Regulations.

The latest information on domestic fire and CO safety is available at:
www.smoke-alarms.co.uk