The founder of the Carbon Monoxide Awareness charity, Lynn Griffiths, is asking organisations working in the community to come together to prevent deaths and injuries from the UK's most common poison.

The charity is asking anyone working in the UK who visits a member of the public in their own home to join a group which will meet twice yearly to discuss ways of raising awareness of the danger of carbon monoxide.

The Carbon Monoxide Awareness Community Group launch will take place on Tuesday 3rd July at the House of Lords. Members will be asked to act as ambassadors to raise the general awareness of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide by communicating the relevant information to work colleagues, professional organisations, customers and clients.

Lynn Griffiths, a survivor of carbon monoxide poisoning herself and President of Carbon Monoxide Awareness, said: "Carbon monoxide poisoning is not necessarily the first thing that someone visiting someone in their own home will think of when presented with even a classic case. We know from contact with surviving victims and bereaved relatives that all too often people receive poor advice, investigation and treatment after their encounter with carbon monoxide."

Lynn said: "Unless we all do something to improve the overall awareness, cases of exposure to this common and potentially deadly poison will continue to be poorly recognised, particularly in the initial stages, and the tragedy of avoidable illness and deaths will continue.

"Carbon Monoxide is unique among poisons. It is lethal even in small amounts, yet is found in homes and workplaces all over the world. As a society we are probably less aware of its dangers than we were 50 years ago, and unless this changes people will continue to die and be severely disabled."

The charity is concerned that organisations are sending employees into homes without sufficient training or equipment to manage the risk Carbon Monoxide poisoning poses. It is vital that anyone going about their daily work which involves home visits is issued with a personal carbon monoxide alarms as a matter of routine.

 

For more information visit the charity's website: www.covictim.org 

 

Posted June 26th, 2012 at 0900 by Andrew. Comment by emailing: andrew.lynch@pavpub.com