Health & Safety in your home

This leaflet contains important information. Please read it.

Gas Safety Every year about 30 people in the UK die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances and flues which have not been properly installed or maintained. Many others also suffer ill health. When gas does not burn properly, as with other fuels such as coal, wood or oil, excess carbon monoxide is produced, which is poisonous. • You can’t see it! • You can’t taste it! • You can’t even smell it! But carbon monoxide can kill without warning in just a matter of hours. You are particularly at risk when you are asleep because you cannot recognise the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. These include tiredness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, pains in the chest and stomach pains. These symptoms can mimic many common ailments and may easily be confused with flu or ordinary tiredness. If you or your family experience these symptoms, and you believe carbon monoxide may be involved, you must seek urgent medical advice. Your doctor will need to test a blood or breath sample. Carbon monoxide quickly leaves the blood and tests may be inaccurate if taken more than four hours after exposure has ended. You are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if: • A gas appliance was poorly installed. • A gas appliance is not working properly. • A gas appliance has not been checked for safety or maintained regularly. • There is not enough fresh air in the room. • Your chimney or flue gets blocked up. • You allow non-Gas Safe engineers to install or maintain your appliances.

Gas safety guidance To minimise the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas escape make sure you follow these simple steps:

• Never use a gas appliance if you think it is not working properly. Signs to look out for include yellow or orange flames (except for fuel-effect fires which display this colour flame), soot or stains around the appliance and pilot lights which frequently blow out. • Never cover an appliance or block the convection air vents. • Never block or obstruct any fixed ventilation grilles or air bricks. • Never block or cover outside flues. Caution: whenever draught exclusion, ceiling or extraction fans, double glazing or conservatory extensions are fitted to a room containing a gas appliance, the appliance should subsequently be checked for safety. If you smell gas, or suspect there is a gas escape, you should immediately do the following: • Open all doors and windows • Shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve (if you know where it is). If gas continues to escape call the National Grid emergency line on 0800 111 999.

Your obligations as a tenant As your landlord we are required to have your gas boiler checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe installer. In order to do this we arrange for our gas contractors to make an appointment with you to carry out an annual gas safety check on your equipment. Newlon must do this by law, which is why it is a condition of your tenancy that you allow our contractors access. We will contact you once a year to arrange your gas safety inspection. Please help us by allowing our gas contractor access to your home. All our contractors carry identification, so please ask to see it if you are concerned. If you are worried about this please contact us on 020 7613 8080. If our contractor cannot gain access to carry out the annual safety inspection we will make a number of further attempts to contact you to arrange an alternative appointment. If we still cannot gain access this may result in a solicitor’s letter being sent to you and ultimately legal proceedings to ensure we can gain access to carry out the required safety checks. If you persistently refuse us access you could be at risk of losing your home.

Fire prevention To prevent the risk of fire and ensure the safety of all residents it is important that you read the fire prevention procedure (outlined below). • Remember to switch off and unplug all electrical equipment not designed to stay on when not in use. This includes items such as televisions, lamps, hairdryers, irons and kettles. • Keep fire doors closed at all times. • Ensure escape routes (corridors, balconies and stairs) are kept clear of any obstructions. • Do not store aerosol cans on window sills or near any heat source. • Never remove fire extinguishers unless attempting to fight a fire. • Never leave food cooking under the grill or on top of the cooker unattended. • The use of candles, oil burners or other naked flames is strictly forbidden. During power failures please use battery powered torches or lights.

Asbestos What is asbestos? Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that is very resistant to heat and chemicals. It was commonly used between the 1940s and 1980s in a range of building materials. Asbestos has also been used up until the 1990s, but as it can be harmful to health, it is no longer used. If your home was built before 1999 some features or parts of your home may contain asbestos. Why is it dangerous? Asbestos is a microscopic fibre which can be breathed in. These fibres can remain in the lungs for a long time and cause serious health problems including hardening of the lungs, lung cancer and cancer of the chest cavity. Asbestos is not a problem if it is not damaged and is left alone. However, it can be dangerous if it is damaged or disturbed, such as during DIY activities. It is important to remember that if asbestos is not disturbed, it is not dangerous. So please do not be alarmed if you suspect there is asbestos in your home, or if Newlon finds it. If you have any questions, or are concerned about asbestos in your home, please contact us on 020 7613 8080.

What does Newlon do about asbestos? Before doing major works we carry out asbestos surveys and maintain a risk register of the location, type and risk of materials containing asbestos. We also follow the recommendations and guidance of experts. This guidance tells us what we need to do and how to manage asbestos. In all cases we will remove the asbestos items from your home when they are discovered and do any necessary repairs following this.

Where might I find asbestos in my home? Asbestos has been used in a range of materials in and around many older homes. The following examples are of typical places where asbestos containing materials have been found: • Textured/decorative ceiling and wall coatings. • Floor and ceiling tiles. • Panels behind radiators and heaters. • Duct panels (encapsulating pipe works). • Underside of stairs. • Interior boiler fabric. • Boiler flue pipes. • Storage heaters. • Bath panels. • Pads fixed to the underside of sinks. • Pipe lagging.

What can I do? Asbestos is only a risk when it is damaged or moved without being made safe first. Please do not drill, sand, scrape or cut into a wall or surface you think could contain asbestos without speaking to us first. Most importantly: do not touch any damaged asbestos. Do contact us if: • You think you may have found asbestos in your home. • You are thinking of doing any DIY. • You want to report any damage to an asbestos containing material.

Water Safety and Hygiene There are a number of risks that you need to be aware of in respect of the water supply to your home. These are minimal and do not present any significant danger to you or your family. The risks come mainly from a very small possibility that in some very rare instances bacteria may form in the water supply system within your home. There are a number of very simple measures that you should take to reduce these risks: • Do not drink water from bathroom taps. You should only drink water from the kitchen cold water tap. • If you have been away from your home for a few weeks, for instance on holiday, you should run the cold water tap in the kitchen for 30 seconds prior to drinking the water. • Shower heads should periodically be removed from the hose and placed in a solution of cold water with a small amount of bleach in it. Current best practice advice is to do this every three months. The shower head should be left in this solution for several hours, preferably over night.

Contacting us If you have any further questions about anything in this booklet, please contact us in any of the following ways. Call our Service Centre on 020 7613 8080. You can email us at [email protected]. Visit our website - www.newlon.org.uk. You can write to us at: Newlon Housing Trust, Newlon House, 4 Daneland Walk, Hale Village, London, N17 9FE.

Arabic Bengali French

Gujarati Somali

Sorani Spanish Turkish Vietnamese Urdu

If you would like this information in large print, audio, Braille, any other language or format, please ask a member of staff. Newlon Housing Trust Newlon House, 4 Daneland Walk, Hale Village, London, N17 9FE. Tel: 020 7613 8080 Phone calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. Newlon Housing Trust is a charitable housing association.

NHT-H&S-HSR 2015