The Occupational Health and Safety Authority has said that it wishes to remind employers of their obligations to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all their employees. Employers are also required to carry out a risk assessment of all work activities.

The risk assessment should identify whether there is the possibility of Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and if so, recommend control measures. These may include regular maintenance and inspection of equipment, awareness training for employees and suitable ventilation.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is produced by the incomplete combustion of gaseous, solid or liquid fuels. Wherever there is an appliance incorporating the burning of a fuel, there is the potential for the generation of CO. The specific gravity of CO is very close to that of air. Thus CO would eventually fill the whole volume of an enclosed space unless adequate ventilation is available.

CO is highly poisonous, even at very low levels of concentration; it can cause brain damage or death. It is known as the “silent killer” because it is virtually undetectable to the human senses. You cannot see, taste or smell it.

The presence of CO may cause the following symptoms: fatigue, headaches, nausea, chest pains, and sudden giddiness when standing up, sickness, diarrhea, stomach pains and erratic behavior.

“If you suspect that an appliance or machine is producing CO, switch it off, open doors and windows to ventilate the room and seek medical help,” the Authority said.

The recommendation follows an incident that took place at the weekend when 14 people became ill after inhaling gas leaks at a wedding reception.

Six patients who were admitted to Mater Dei hospital after inhaling gas leaks at a wedding reception, are being kept under observation and are due to be released today.

The Major Incident Protocol was initiated after 14 employees of a Catering establishment (eight men and six women) fainted during a wedding reception at a complex in Hal Farrug.

Emergency Consultants and five ambulances were dispatched on site to assist the 14 employees. All were admitted to Mater Dei Hospital and given immediate medical assistance by the A&E Team.

Initially three patients, (two men and a woman) were in a critical condition but later their condition stabilised and were transferred temporarily to the Hyperbaric Unit.

In total, five patients were transferred to the Hyperbaric Unit (4 men and 1 woman) and another woman was admitted to the Observation Ward. The patients at the Hyperbaric Unit were admitted to the Medical Wards on Sunday morning for observation and all will be discharged from Mater Dei Hospital on Monday

The other eight patients were given medical assistance and discharged immediately.

The accident happened when the organisers transferred the reception indoors due to the high winds prevailing on the maltese islands yesterday. The catering establishment’s staff inhaled gas leaks which led to their condition.

The Minister for Health, Dr. Godfrey Farrugia thanked all the staff concerned at Mater Dei Hospital for their sterling work and also thanked the members of the Malta Police Force and the Department for Civil Protection for their immediate response.

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