ESV launches 24/7 hotline for gasfitters

Recent incidents of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning from open flued gas heaters have caused Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) to step up our safety warnings to Victorian households. Between 2010 and 2018, seven Victorians have died from CO poisoning, including brothers Chase and Tyler Robinson who died in their Mooroopna home in 2010. ESV understands the value of your relationship with your clients. Sometimes putting their safety first can strain that relationship and place you in a compromising position when it comes to CO spillage and isolating an appliance.

24/7 gasfitter CO isolation hotline

If your client is refusing to have their appliance isolated due to CO spillage, call our new hotline number - 1800 652 563 and select option 5. The reporting hotline is ONLY to be called when the customer is refusing to have their appliance isolated and you cannot make it safe. For non-compliance queries, call 1800 652 563 - Option 3.

What we need to know

When calling the hotline please have the following information available.

Plumber

• Plumber name
• Plumber Licence number
• Plumber contact number

Client

• Client name
• Client contact number
• Address of installation
  • Street number and name
  • Suburb
  • Postcode

Gas appliance

• Model name and number
• PPM of CO spillage

Upon receipt of these details an ESV inspector will contact you to obtain further information and then contact your client in an attempt to resolve the matter. As part of the resolution ESV may offer to carry out a further inspection. We will outline the dangers and consequences of CO spillage and inform your client that it may be necessary to advise their gas supplier the installation is unsafe. The gas supplier then has a statutory obligation to withdraw supply.

More information

Read more about CO

For resources and information about CO and gas heating, refer to our Heating your home with gas webpage.

Training

Watch our animated video explaining what a negative pressure environment is, its effect on open flued gas heaters and how to test for and mitigate it. Contact the VBA to enquire about CO training.

Contact us

If you have queries about the reporting hotline, a complex gas installation or require further information, call our Gas technical enquiry line on 1800 652 563 - Option 3 or at gastechnicalenquiry@energysafe.vic.gov.au. The full 1800 652 563 options are: 0 – Report a gas emergency 1 – Check progress of a gas application 2 – Book an inspection for a gas application 3 – Gas technical enquiry 4 – IT support for GasTrac 5 – Reporting unsafe installations - the new hotline