Carbon Monoxide Research Trust CO Research Conference 2024

We recently attended the Carbon Monoxide Research Trust’s (CORT) CO Research Conference, and it was great to see so many passionate, knowledgeable individuals looking to further drive CO safety. 

The two days of the conference had some excellent presentations and incredibly informative panel speakers, with a focus on future progress and strategic planning for research opportunities. The conference showed promise regarding the future of CO research and HETAS actively supports such endeavours. 

As the research has progressed and more insights have been gained, new projects have been able to explore the complexities of CO safety. In the research conference, CORT detailed how ongoing research is focused on low-level CO exposure to illuminate its impacts on human health. This is vital as low levels of CO may be undetectable by CO alarms, so research into its effects and how it can be identified will greatly aid awareness and help prevent adverse effects. 

Following the recently published results from the Welsh government’s consultation on CO guidance, it is positive that the field is actively working to further improve awareness and safety. 

Speaking on the event, Alan Young, HETAS Compliance Manager, commented: 

We take CO safety seriously at HETAS and we have long worked on increasing awareness of the dangers it poses. Being a colourless, odourless gas, CO can be difficult to identify without a functioning CO alarm and can lead to potentially fatal hazards. 

The CORT are an integral part of increasing safety and their research is extremely valuable. HETAS support this research and will assist using our expert knowledge and wide-reaching resources to help improve safety and awareness, whether this be through research, legislation changes, or other means.

HETAS understand the importance of CO safety and we are committed to working with other organisations to help further awareness and safety. We have a number of resources dedicated to CO safety: 

• HETAS Carbon Monoxide advice 
• Carbon monoxide safety videos 
• Carbon monoxide safety leaflet 

We are part of the solution and will continue our work in raising CO awareness and spreading safety messages. Our position, along with other organisations involved with CORT, enables us to create real change. Government policy, emergency service protocols, legislation, and technology can all be advanced with the efforts of combined stakeholders and the results will further improve public health and awareness.