Luckily,  the director of this Essex based IT company decided to purchase a carbon monoxide alarm after strange happenings in his office. And his staff are lucky he did…

Cheap battery operated smoke detectors – You get what you pay for.

Business was going well for a small IT support company based in Essex. They had just re-decorated and had their business security in check – or so they thought.

The director had purchased a few battery operated smoke detectors and placed them where he thought was appropriate (in the kitchen and hallway) to save a few quid. Little did he know how much more was on the line.

Read 10 fantastic kitchen fire safety tips here! These tips are applicable at home and in the workplace.

Cheap battery operated smoke detectors are designed for one purpose -to detect smoke particles and alert residents that there is a fire.

They don’t have the features of modern fire alarm systems that are connected to the mains, such as picking up particles of cigarette smoke or carbon monoxide. Most business owners might argue that they don’t need all of these ‘fancy features’ and it’s just a waste of money.

But you’ll soon discover why having a fully functional fire alarm system with a built in carbon monoxide alarm might be worth while…

A carbon monoxide alarm would have warned them sooner…

Not too long ago, a fireplace shop set up downstairs. The owner of the fireplace shop had ‘example display’ electric and log fires going for most of the day to show potential customers.

The IT support company thought nothing of this until regular clients mentioned strange smells of smoke and gas.

It turns out that the smoke and chemicals from the fireplace shop were rising up through the vents and being released into the office above.

And, because the staff there were present all day, it was harder for them to notice the smell that was seeping in ever so slowly.

After numerous complaints, the IT support staff could notice a strong smell of smoke when entering the building in the morning.

But what about the chemicals that can’t be detected by the human nose, or a cheap smoke detector?

The day they realised their lives could be on the line

It wasn’t until the manager of the IT support company finally complained to the landlord who owned the buildings that the subject of carbon monoxide poisoning arose.

Suddenly, an inconvenient problem became much more serious.

Was everyone in the office being exposed to carbon monoxide? – A question that would have been very quickly answered by a carbon monoxide alarm.

Instead, everyone was worried sick until arrangements were made by professionals who came in and tested the air for carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals.

Lots of stress and an invoice later, the company found out that there were small traces of carbon monoxide in the air, but not enough to harm someone.

At once, the director purchased some battery operated carbon monoxide detectors for £10 online.

Can you see where this is going…?

The moral of the story is?

This dramatic anecdote serves a bigger purpose. This IT company were lucky enough to have identified the problem early. Imagine the outcome if the company remained blissfully unaware and the levels of carbon monoxide continued to rise.

But once again, the cheap option was taken and the lesson wasn’t learnt. The cheapest way isn’t the easiest or best way.

You really do get what you pay for and we urge businesses to protect their assets the right way – with a fully functioning fire alarm system.

As we explained briefly before, our fire alarm systems can be fitted with ‘extras’ such as a carbon monoxide alarm or even a burglar alarm!

Don’t leave it until it’s too late.

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