What to Do When There's Carbon Monoxide Leak in Your Office

You probably heard a lot of horror stories about carbon monoxide. When there’s carbon monoxide leak, it can mean disaster. It’s odourless and it’s not visible, which is why it’s important you take preventive measures to prevent leaks, especially in a place of business.

Putting up carbon monoxide detectors is a good idea, but keep in mind that these detectors can’t protect your business completely from the detrimental effects of carbon monoxide.

What Produces Carbon Monoxide

Unfortunately, a lot of people think that carbon monoxide is produced by air conditioning. The truth is, AC units can’t cause carbon monoxide poisoning because the system doesn’t run by burning fuel. What produces carbon monoxide is your heating equipment.

You’re Still in Danger When Detectors Don’t Go Off

You need to keep in mind that even if the detectors don’t go off, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re safe from carbon monoxide poisoning. This is because low levels of poisonous gas will not trigger your sensors to go off, especially the ones that are installed in the ceiling and hard-wired to the electrical system. Such detectors are usually programmed to go off if the carbon monoxide levels are dangerous enough.

The thing is, prolonged exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can cause people to experience symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and fatigue. If you notice a growing number of people experiencing these symptoms, it’s essential to take action right away. Most carbon monoxide leak sources are usually from fuel-burning appliances or heating systems.

When Detectors Go Off

Knowing what to do when detectors go off in your office is crucial. Therefore, your employees must be educated and appropriately trained on the actions they need to take when the carbon monoxide detectors go off.

The first thing to do is to evacuate the building. After this, you need to call the fire department. When that’s sorted out, do a headcount to ensure that no one is missing. Make sure that all heating systems and appliances are turned off. As much as possible, have all windows and doors open to air it out.

When everything’s safe, have an expert determine the cause and fix it. Knowing what to do when your detectors go off is important; otherwise, you will cause panic, which can even cause more serious damage to your business and the people within the area.

Conclusion

There are ways to prevent carbon monoxide leaks. One of the most important things to do is to have regular furnace maintenance, which should be at least once a year. Have a professional inspect your furnace and ensure that it’s working in good condition. Regular inspections will also help identify issues that could turn into a big problem.

Find a reliable HVAC company to help you maintain your heating systems in your place of business. Also, it would greatly help if you can have training sessions for your employees when there are carbon monoxide leaks in the area. The more educated you and your people are, the better you can handle carbon monoxide leaks.

Here at Soul Mechanical, we have the best HVAC technicians to ensure that your heating systems are working safely and prevent carbon monoxide leaks. Contact us today to schedule a service.