Tag Archives: service

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

What Are Landlords’ Gas Safety Obligations? (Guest Post)

Landlords have a duty of care to ensure the health and safety of their tenants, and should take reasonable steps to do so. One of the most important regulations landlords in the UK must adhere to is the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. These oblige landlords to ensure that every relevant gas fitting and flue is maintained safely in order to prevent their tenants suffering from illness or injury.

This involves conducting gas appliance services every 12 months and keeping a record of these checks for two years. The record should answer the following questions:

–          When was the appliance or flue checked?

–          What address did the check occur in?

–          What is the name and address of the landlord or agent that controls the property?

–          Where are the appliances located?Gas-safety

–          What kind of gas appliances are they?

–          Were any problems noticed?

–          Were any defects repaired?

–          Was the flue’s effectiveness checked?

–          Was the supply of combustion air examined?

–          Was the heat input or operating pressure examined?

–          Was the operation of the appliance checked?

–          Was the landlord or agent notified of any defects?

–          Who carried out the check?

–          What the Gas Safe Register registration number of the person who carried out the check?

This record should also be provided to the tenants of the premises, and when a new tenant moves into a property, they should be provided with a copy of the most recent record.

Landlords’ gas safety obligations are not solely confined to the rooms their tenants live in, but also any communal areas, such as hallways and walkways. Landlords must also not merely ensure their gas appliances are serviced, but are also responsible for any repairs and maintenance that their appliance may require. It is best practice to repair any defects as soon as possible – not only could delays cause harm to tenants, but tenants may even try to reclaim part of their rent through the small claims court if they do not feel that their landlord kept their property up to standard.

Gas appliances that are in parts of a building solely occupied for non-residential use do not come under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, nor do any gas appliances tenants provide themselves. However, it is best to have any gas appliances owned by the landlord and any flues that are connected to tenant’s gas appliances checked annually; this may help landlords to meet any additional duties they have under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

If a tenant’s central heating shuts down due to a boiler breakdown or disconnected by an engineer, landlords must provide their tenants with alternative emergency heating until the heating is back on. It is illegal to use gas appliances that have been deemed as unsafe or that are suspected of being hazardous; therefore, landlords must not encourage their tenants to use any appliances that have been classed as unsafe and should arrange repairs as quickly as possible. Landlords who have any doubts over an engineer’s advice should still adhere to their advice, but can contact the Gas Safe Register for further assistance in the interim.

Kevin Burke

Kevin Burke writes about health and safety on behalf of boiler breakdown cover specialists 247 Home Rescue.

General Safety Issues

HONOR OUR VETERANS EVERY DAY!

We should honor our veterans every day, but especially on the day set aside to salute them,  Monday, November 11.  It is their day to shine, those veterans who valiantly served in past wars, and ongoing wars today.  They are true patriots who love their country and sacrifice time with their families and are willing to serve for the common good.

Unemployment among veterans remains an obstacle.  According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the jobless rate of returning veterans stands at 7 per cent.  They face many challenges once they return home, some with disabilities, PTSD, and lack of work.

The good news is that many industries have pledged to “Hire 500,000 Heroes” and their spouses.  Since 2012, Convergys Systems has hired 5,000 veterans and their spouses, both in the United States and the United Kingdom.  This campaign challenges businesses to hire half a million veterans and their spouses by the end of 2014.  Convergys was awarded Civilian.Jobs.com 2013 Most Valuable Employer of the Military.

Other companies that have accepted the challenge are Advance Technology Systems, a manufacturing company, who has made hiring military veterans a high priority.  Starbucks wants to add 10,000 vets and spouses to its ranks. 

Veterans have the leadership and discipline to adjust to new jobs and locations.  Returning Heroes Tax Credit provides businesses that hire unemployed veterans a maximum credit of $5,600 per veteran.  The Wounded Warriors Tax Credit is given to companies who hire veterans with service-connected disabilities a maximum credit of $9,600 per veteran. 

Anytime you see a veteran, give him/her a big “Thank You”.  If you own a business, take the “Hire 500,000 Heroes” challenge, and do what you can.  If you hire one veteran, that’s one less hero that is unemployed.  I recently met an elderly man who was wearing a cap, showing he was a veteran of WWII, Korean War, and Viet Nam.  When he was told “Thank You for your service”, by another man who had served in Viet Nam, he simply stated, “It was a living.” 

These folks don’t want the glory they deserve.  They want to know they are appreciated by their countrymen.  They want to have a job when they return home, and those who no longer are able to work, want to receive their benefits.

Please do your part and “Hire a Vet!”  Texas America Safety Company and Blog4Safety salute our military men and women.

 

 

General Safety Issues

HOW TO STAY SAFE WHILE BLOGGING (GUEST POST)

Written by Debra Johnson

Blogging, or online journaling, became popular in the 1990’s as a way to share your feelings, either privately or publicly, with friends and strangers on the internet. It was the online version of keeping a diary, and was widely popular with pre-teens and teenagers. Recently, however, it has taken a new turn, going from a diary-type setting to a business one. Bloggers are using their blogs to intertwine their personal lives with professional marketing by partnering up with companies to review products and services, and to spread the word about a business in exchange for some sort of compensation.

This profession is a popular one because it allows people to work from home, interact with brands and businesses that they enjoy, and get tons of perks, from free products to comped restaurant meals to free hotel rooms and trips, just to name a few. However it also comes with a huge safety concern. Putting your life on display on the internet means that you are opening the doors for anyone to read about you, including those people who have less than desirable intentions. In order to stay safe while blogging it’s imperative to share bits of your life without compromising your personal security. You can do so by:

1.       Never posting anything relating to where you live or work. While disclosing the city you reside in usually isn’t a big deal, you should never post anything that gives away the neighborhood or apartment complex you live in, streets that are close to your residence, or places that you frequent, such as the gym, library, or where you work. 

2.       Never let your readers know when you’re going out of town. Even if you’ve been careful to avoid posting information that could allow people to infer where you live, if you’re going out of town and leaving your house unattended you should refrain from disclosing this information until after you’re back home.

3.       Avoid using last names. When you refer to both yourself and other people on your blog you should never include last names. This makes it far too easy for people to search for you or your friends or family, so you should avoid doing so at all costs. 

4.       Be mindful of any photographs you use. While it may not bother you to have photos of yourself online, other people may not be so keen to be included on your blog. Check with anyone and everyone in a photograph before including it, as you don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable from something you’ve posted.

5.       Anonymously register your domain name. When you buy a personal domain your contact information immediately becomes available for others to search. To avoid this you should register your domain name anonymously.

Even if your job is to share your life online, you should still be very wary of any personal information that you post, because you never really know who’s on the other end reading. There’s a fine line between sharing just enough information and sharing too much, and to maintain your personal safety you have to constantly make sure that you’re not crossing that line.

About the Author: 

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of Liveinnanny.com. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: – jdebra84 @ gmail.com.

General Safety Issues

TODAY, 11-11-11 IS VETERANS’ DAY!

Veterans Day is a state and federal holiday, with banks, post offices, and schools being closed.  How many people that take advantage of the day off realize the meaning of the day, and why it is celebrated?  Many youngsters today could teach us a thing or two about it, because their parents are in the military, and they know what it’s like to have a mom or dad come home.  All our children should understand what this important day stands for. 

Originally known as Armistice Day, it was set aside as a day to honor the military servicemen who fought so valiantly in World War I.  Here is part of a resolution made by Congress on June 4, 1926:

“Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations;”

At the time this was written, WWI was called “the end of the war to end all wars”.  In 1938, Congress made Armistice Day a legal holiday.  Then World War II was declared, which required the greatest mobilization of military in our history.  Next, we entered the Korean War.  The name was changed in 1954 to Veterans Day in order to honor veterans of all wars we have been engaged in.  Since then, we have been engaged in the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Iraq, and Afghanistan.  Let’s hope this is the last one.

Those of us who have not experienced war first-hand, can only empathize with those who have, whose eyes fill up with tears, thinking of the memories of comrades in arms that they lost.  We can’t imagine the post-traumatic syndrome that many of them suffer.  Any chance that you have to thank a veteran will be appreciated.  A note or email to someone you know who has served would tell them you are grateful for the safety they have provided our country.  Fly your flag to honor them.

Veterans Day focuses attention to its important purpose: a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.  We owe a huge debt to all the brave men and women who have fought so courageously.  Let’s hope someday, somehow, they will be able to serve our country in a safer, more peaceful world.

Source: US Department of Veterans Affairs