In June 2012, an eruption ripped through the roads of Oldham in Greater Manchester. The explosion was so robust that it succeeded to abolish 4 households and kill a 2 year old baby.
image src: house.keepah @ flickr
As you can understand the consequences of a gas leak can be deadly. Most of these events can be stopped if the right action is taken directly - don't assume somebody else will. Here are 10 things to remember if you ever smell gas.
- Under no circumstances open a bare flame or smoke when you can smell gas. This will cause the gas to blow up.
- Let the persons who live near know there is a gas leak. As we saw from the instance above, it's not just the basis of the leak that can be affected.
- Telephone the National Grid. They have especially trained operaters who can help you in this kind of condition.
- Open all the entrances and windows in the house. This will allow the gas to discharge and won't have such a large impact if the gas blasts.
- Make your gas supplier aware of the condition. They should be able to turn off the source to your household so it can't produce any more gas.
- Turn off anything in your household that uses gas, for example your cooker - these might be producing the leakage. Get a gas safe registered engineer to inspect your home before using any gas powered items again.
- If the gas leak hasn't stopped, it might be time to call the emergency services. The fire brigade will be your leading point of contact.
- Do a head count to ensure that everybody has left the house. If you live in a tower block, ensure that your neighbours leave too.
- As a last-ditch effort, switch the gas off at the mains yourself. It is a decent idea to become acquainted with the mains of your gas supply in case.
- Inhaling gas can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning - which can be deadly. As a protection everyone in the space should pursue medical instruction.
By keeping these 10 guidelines in mind if you ever have a gas leak, you can save lives and stop potential tragedies and blasts.
National Grid can be contacted all year round, 24/7.
This item was written by Brian Madden; Online Marketing Assistant at Crown Gas & Power.