Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the North of England’s gas distributer, is excited to announce the launch of its latest competition aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) and promoting safety to primary school aged children and their families.  

The annual competition is part of NGN’s ongoing work in collaboration with Great Britain’s gas networks across England, Scotland and Wales to educate about how to keep safe and protect yourself from this poisonous gas.

CO is a colourless, odourless gas that can be deadly if inhaled in large quantities. It is often produced by faulty gas appliances, blocked flues, or poor ventilation. To combat this silent threat, NGN is inviting schools, clubs, and groups to participate in the competition by creating educational materials that highlight the risks of CO and explain how to prevent it. 

The competition is part of a wider educational initiative with Bonanza Creative who run two tailored classroom-based educational programmes in schools throughout the UK; 

• Safety Seymour for Key Stage 1 pupils aged five to seven 

• CO Crew for Key Stage 2 pupils aged eight to 11 

During the sessions, pupils learn about what CO is, where it comes from, the dangers posed by this poisonous gas and how to stay safe.  All primary school aged children are encouraged to take part. 

Key Competition Details: 

Who Can Enter: – Schools, community groups, and individuals across the Northern Gas Networks area
Submission Categories-: Artwork, videos, posters, and educational pamphlets.
Prizes: – The area winners will receive £150 each and £300 for their school/organisation. The national winner will receive £300 for themselves and £600 for their school/organisation. 

Deadline for Entries: – 31st December 2024
How to Enter: -Send your entry to gdnco_competition@northerngas.co.uk

Laura Ratcliffe, Social Strategy Programme Manager, NGN said: “Carbon monoxide (CO) is a serious threat that often goes unnoticed, through this competition, we hope to provide children and their carers with the knowledge and tools to keep themselves safe.  Engaging young people in a fun and creative way is a big part of this education.” 

Entries will be judged by a panel of CO awareness specialists and winners will be announced in January 2025.”

For more information about the competition, including terms and conditions please visit https://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/network-supply/get-creative-be-safe/
  

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Anyone that smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, seven days a week.  

At NGN, we’re incredibly proud of our workforce and its dedication to keeping homes and businesses across our region safe, warm and connected to gas.

We’ve always strived to offer some of the best pay and conditions in the industry and remain committed to creating a positive working environment for all our colleagues.

Supporting Our Workforce

Our employees are at the heart of everything we do. We offer market-leading pay and competitive benefits, and in the past four years alone, we’ve awarded a total pay increase of almost 30% — well above inflation. Just last year, we introduced a 9% pay rise alongside a £1,000 cost-of-living payment, which reflects our dedication to supporting our team in a challenging economic climate.

We take the wellbeing of our colleagues incredibly seriously – with an industry-leading position on working time limits. Since 2020, we have successfully reduced overtime hours by around 20% and our engineers work less than 45 hours a week on average, including overtime.  This is in part due to our investment into and modernisation of the network, which has halved the number of gas escapes since 2010, leading to fewer incidents, less overtime and reduced hours.  This reduction is a reflection of our ongoing commitment to prioritising the wellbeing and work-life balance of our employees, ensuring they are rested and able to perform their duties safely and effectively.

We regularly engage with our workforce to hear their concerns and offer solutions, and employee turnover last year was just 5.2% – much lower than the industry average. The average tenure across our business of 10 years reflects the positive working environment we create.

The Current Dispute: Misalignment with GMB

Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a challenging situation with the GMB union. For the last few years, NGN has been in discussions with the GMB about the management of fatigue within our business, prompted by the upcoming 12-hour working time limits which are due to be introduced in the future by the Health and Safety Executive.

Throughout this process, we’ve been working hard to find a solution to ensure that we can continue to protect colleagues from the risks of fatigue associated with working longer hours and to prepare for the future HSE requirement.

Our final offer to the GMB included improvements to our already very good terms and conditions, including better working patterns, increased overtime pay, and a one-off £1,500 bonus. However, despite these substantial benefits, the GMB rejected our offer without presenting it to its members. Instead, they’ve made demands that would cost NGN approximately £28 million a year — without even addressing the root issue of fatigue. This is not only unsustainable as a 56% increase on our current paybill that would have to be passed on to customers, but also threatens the long-term job security of our employees.

In response, we implemented our new strategy in August, which will help us to get in the best shape to start to address the more stringent future 12 hour working time limits that we know will be required in future years.

The GMB held a strike ballot which began on Monday 2 September and closed on Monday 16 September. A total of 738 colleagues were eligible to vote in this ballot, with 402 deciding to do so. Of these members, 299 voted for industrial action. While this was a majority of those who turned out, in reality almost two-thirds (64%) of the colleagues eligible to vote chose to either not vote at all or voted against strike action.

Our Commitment to Customers: Safety is our priority

While we navigate this dispute, our top priority remains unchanged: delivering a safe and reliable gas supply to our customers. We’ve put robust plans in place to ensure that our customers continue to receive the gas they need, regardless of any industrial action. These measures include working with our existing third party contractors to handle key functions and reprioritising and redistributing work among our teams.

We urge our colleagues to reflect on the potential impact of this strike on the communities we serve. Our customers depend on us, and we have a responsibility to keep them safe and warm.

We’re committed to engaging in sensible discussions with the union and we urge them to work with us to do so.

Thank you for your continued dedication and we will continue to keep you updated on next steps.

Mark Horsley
CEO, Northern Gas Networks

NGN has won the Collaborative Initiative of the Year Award at the Energy & Utility Skills Awards for its partnership with Develop Training.

This accolade recognises NGN’s efforts in working with Develop and its parent company, JTL, to create the innovative £500kTraining Terrace facility in York, designed to simulate real-life emergency gas incident scenarios.

Training Terrace is a purpose-built street with houses, flats and a cafe, where courses on handling emergency gas incidents can be delivered in as close to real life settings as possible.

Chris Adair, Training Manager from NGN said: “The unique environment we have collectively created will enhance the skills of gas operatives and reinforce safety at the heart of the business.

“This award is a testament to our partnership with Develop Training and reflects our collective commitment to safety and innovation.”

Additionally, NGN’s new Mechanical Pressure Management & Electrical and Instrumentation Training Centre, also in York, was acknowledged; it cost £300,000 and opened in August 2024, primarily serving apprentices and new starters.

Daryll Garavan, Head of Operations & Training, at Develop Training said: “This award is a reflection of the partnership we’ve built with NGN.  Our combined efforts have led to the development of facilities that further the safety knowledge and expertise of the NGN operational teams.”

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Anyone that smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Photograph: Left to right: Daryll Garavan, Operational Training Manager at Develop Training and Chris Adair, Training Manager at NGN