NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BOAT OWNERSThere is tragic news in the national press about the death of two people from suspected CO poisoning on a boat on lake Windermere.
“Each year boaters die or are made seriously ill from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning – Boats are built to keep water out, but this also makes them good containers for gases and fumes.”
When carbon-based, appliance and engine fuels, such as gas, LPG, coal, wood, paraffin, oil, petrol and diesel don’t burn completely, CO is produced
CO build-up in the cabin can occur with one or a mix of these factors:
- with faulty, badly maintained or misused appliances
- exhaust fumes from a boat’s engine or generator
- escaped flue gases from solid fuel stoves
- blocked ventilation or short supply of air – fuels need the right amount of oxygen to burn safely
10 tips to keep you alive!
- Install fuel burning appliances properly
- Maintain appliances and engines routinely
- Use the equipment correctly
- Don’t allow engine fumes into the cabin space
- Deal with problems immediately
- Don’t allow bodged repairs and maintenance
- Install a CO alarm
- Test the alarm routinely
- Never remove the batteries
- Know the signs of CO poisoning and how to react.
For more detail read the information go the BSS web site and read here.
