A new Gas Safe Charity has been established, the trustees are in place and the official launch takes place at the House of Commons in September.
Gas Safe Charity's mission is to put an end to deaths, injuries and illness caused by dangerous gas work and faulty or poorly cared for gas appliances in the home.
The charity wants everyone to know what to do to be gas safe, as the charity's chairman Les Philpott explains:
'If we know what the gas risks are and how they happen, we can prevent them if we choose to act on what we know. It is that simple.
'The message Gas Safe Charity want to get across to the public is: why put yourself in danger when you don't have to. Use a Gas Safe registered engineer. Get your appliances safety checked and serviced. Fit a CO alarm that alerts you if you're in danger. Gas is safe; to make sure it stays that way we all need to act on what we know to stop the risks.'
The trustees are ready to get to work and are currently looking at ways to improve gas safety for disabled and older people in vulnerable situations.
They are also making plans to maximise public awareness of gas safety in the autumn. This will complement Gas Safe Register's Better-Gas-Safe-than-sorry campaign.
The chairman of Gas Safe Charity is Les Philpott, and the charity secretary is Andy McGrory. Both work for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The trustees come from the public, private and voluntary sectors, with experience in energy and safety issues: Phil Buckle, background in energy home safety; Peter Eldridge, Capita; Gordon Lishman, formerly chief executive of the Age Concern Group; Angela Love, Energy Networks Association and vice-chairman of the Gas Industry Safety Group; Nick Ratty, HSE and Paul White, Gas Safe Register.
The Gas Safe Charity would like to keep you up to date with its latest news, initiatives and events. Sign up to receive email updates and take a tour of the new website at
www.gassafetycharity.org.uk