Boats will be required to have suitable Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms or fail Boat Safety Scheme examination
Boats will be required to have suitable Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms fitted in an appropriate place, and kept in good condition – or fail the Boat Safety Scheme examination, the Scheme’s operators have confirmed.
Following a consultation, the four-yearly ‘MOT for boats’ will include mandatory checks for CO alarms from 1 April this year. The ‘silent killer’ can be produced in engines and appliances operating on diesel, petrol, gas or solid fuel. However the rules apply to all craft with “accommodation spaces” even if they no such equipment, as CO deaths and injuries can result from faults on neighbouring boats.
Alarms will need to be:
• Suitable. The BSS recommends alarms kitemarked as meeting BS EN 50291-2; these are best suited for boats.
• Installed in appropriate locations: in living quarters between 1m and 3m (on plan view) from appliances and high up but not closer than 150mm from the ceiling, and where indicators lights can be seen; in sleeping quarters near the bed head. Alarms should be audible from anywhere aboard.
• In good condition. Test your alarms regularly.
The full details of the checks will be published on boatsafetyscheme.org by the end of February.
