Ensuring students are under no illusions when it comes to gas safety

It’s that time of year again, thousands of students across the country are moving into their new houses for the start of the new university year. However, not all digs are up to scratch and many students are more concerned about where their next pint is coming from rather than how safe their new pad is.

A study by National Grid has found that over a fifth (21%) cited “good access to the pub and nightlife” and over a third (36%) having “a good bedroom” as key reasons for choosing a property.

Perhaps equally unsurprisingly, only 7% rated having a smoke detector as one of their three most important considerations, just 5% looked for a safe, regularly serviced boiler and fewer than 2% said a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm was of prime importance.

However, with unserviced boilers significantly increasing the danger of CO poisoning – 54% of students currently in rented accommodation say their boiler does not have the gas safety certificate their landlord should by law provide – and with three quarters of students not having an audible CO alarm and living in at least two or more different rented properties during their time at university, the dangers are clear.

Nor, it seems, do students know what to look for. Almost half (46%) don’t recognize light headedness,  headaches, nausea, dizziness and shortage of breath as symptoms of CO poisoning, while over 70% don’t know the indicators of a potentially faulty gas appliance: a weak yellowy/orange flame, black marks around the appliance and a pilot light that blows out easily.

Add the fact that 88% don’t know who to call if they suspect a gas or CO leak, then the potential dangers are obvious.

To make sure that students stay safe, National Grid has teamed up with leading professional illusionist, 25 year old Damien O’Brien who recently featured on Penn and Teller, to help teach students the tricks to living safely.

For more information visit: National Grid Student Union on Facebook

All tricks were carried out by professional illusionist Damien O'Brien