Top Tips to be gas safe

It’s Gas Safety Week 2025, this year’s theme for Gas Safety Week is all about ‘Looking after your home, friends, and family’, highlighting that we all have a role in gas safety and keeping ourselves and each other safe.

 Being safe in your home is extremely important so here are some tips to be gas safe. Be sure to follow them all to ensure the safety of you and those close to you.

1. Get carbon monoxide alarms for your home!

Having an alarm can help to keep you safe and alert you. If you have a gas boiler in your home or a gas oven for example, then you need to have a carbon monoxide alarm in your home.

2. Test your carbon monoxide alarms!

You may have a carbon monoxide alarm in your home, but do you know if it’s actually working? Doing regular checks will help not only the alarm is working but your safety also.

3. Replace batteries in your carbon monoxide alarm yearly.

Again, you may have an alarm, but ensuring it is still in working condition means you are kept safe. Changing the batteries yearly alongside regular testing keeps your alarms working.

*Regularly checking your alarm and replacing the batteries can also help guarantee that there are no false alarms.*

4. Keep appliances properly maintained.

Having your boiler serviced will make sure your boiler is working especially coming into the winter months but also makes sure your boiler is safe and not producing any harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide.

5. Know the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning!

Carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless, so it is important to know the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning to stay safe. You can check if there is any dark, sooty staining on or around your gas appliances this could be a sign of a gas leak, if you do spot these then do not hesitate to contact a gas engineer.

Some physical signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Feeling sick or being sick
• Feeling weak
• Confusion
• Chest and muscle pain
• Shortness of breath

(NHS)

6. Knowing what to do if your carbon monoxide alarm is activated.

Firstly, open as many doors and windows as you can while evacuating your house to minimise your exposure to the gas and get the gas out of your home.

Once outside check how everyone is feeling, checking for any potential signs of poisoning, if anyone does have symptoms contact the emergency services immediately.

Next get in contact with a professional, you can call the Gas Emergency Services Helpline on 0800 111 999 in the first instance, and if you need a gas engineer there’s the Gas Safe Register.

7. Knowing if and when you need to use a locking cooker valve.

When caring for someone with a condition like Cognitive Impairment or Dementia, putting extra safety measures in place can help to keep them safe and independent while also providing you extra peace of mind.

The locking cooker value is a simple safety device, it is used to control when gas can and can’t be used. Caregivers can easily control the device and when the gas is able to be used, preventing a gas cooker/hob being turned on or left switched on when not needed.  

Using these tips can keep you and your family safe, there are many things we can do to keep gas safe.