Don’t get poisoned by gases Keep the air safe in your home Some gases can kill – it’s a real risk! People in Tasmania can unknowingly risk poisoning by gases in their homes, shacks, sheds and caravans. Cooking and heating can produce gases that can kill. Carbon monoxide gas cannot be seen or smelt but can kill in a few minutes.

Carbon monoxide gas poisoning can cause:

• headaches

• dizziness and fainting

• confusion

• shortness of breath

• nausea (feeling like you might vomit or be sick).

Take notice, especially if more than one person in the house has any of these symptoms.

DO NOT WAIT

Get everyone out of the house and stay out.

Call Triple Zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.

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Take special care with portable gas heaters Portable gas heaters are not fixed in place. Portable gas heaters include heaters that plug into a gas outlet or floor socket with a flexible hose. They don’t have a flue or chimney to take away dangerous gases caused by the heating process. This can make the air inside your home dangerous, even deadly.

× Do not sleep in a room with a gas heater that does not have a flue or chimney.

× Never use a fuel burning or gas heater inside a house, caravan, tent, or other small space, unless it has a flue or chimney or is approved for indoor use.

LPG cabinet heaters do not meet Australian Safety Standards and should not be used. Sale of LPG cabinet heaters is banned in Australia.

June, 2014

Stay safe with heating Only use heaters made for indoor use inside your home.

Read and follow the instructions for your heater.

Make sure your heater is put in and fixed properly. Use someone with the right qualifications.

Get your heater serviced once a year by someone with the right qualifications.

× Do not use a kitchen stove or oven, nor portable gas stoves, heat bead stoves or charcoal grills to heat your home.

Stay safe when cooking Inside your home, only use kitchen stoves and ovens for cooking.

Read and follow the instructions for your stove and oven.

× Do not use outdoor barbecues (BBQs), portable gas stoves, camping stoves, charcoal grills or heat-bead stoves inside. They are for outside only.

× Do not roast coffee or smoke meat or other food with wood, coal or heat beads inside. Do this outside only. You can roast coffee and food safely inside your home using a pan on the kitchen stove, but never leave food cooking on your stove unattended.

Other safety tips × Do not leave a car, truck or petrol engine running in a garage attached to your house, even if

you leave the door open.

× Do not burn rubbish or plastic inside.

Always keep gas bottles outside your home.

Call the Fire Service on 1800 000 699 if you have fire safety concerns.

Want to know more? For more information visit www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-enhealth-unflued-gas-heaters-cnt.htm

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