Emergency vehicles are parked in front of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in South Charleston, W.V., Tuesday Jan. 31, 2012 . One guest was found dead and at least four others were sickened, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning. A natural gas heating unit on a pool at the hotel caused a carbon monoxide leak Tuesday, fire officials said. (AP Photo/The Charleston Gazette,Kenny Kemp)

In the wake of the preventable death of construction worker William J. Moran, 44, of Rhode Island, yesterday in a carbon monoxide leak at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites out on Corridor G, the Daily Mail reports this morning that South Charleston Mayor Frank Mullens wants his city to begin requiring all hotels in their jurisdiction to install life-saving CO alarms.

The bigger question, though, is why Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and the West Virginia Legislature don’t just pass a simple law that mandates all hotels in our state install these life-saving devices.

Nationally, smoke alarms have been required in hotels since 1990. But that statute does not mandate carbon monoxide detectors or alarms.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that 25 states have laws that mandate carbon monoxide detectors in residential buildings.  In West Virginia, such a statute was passed in 1998, after lobbying from 5th graders whose teacher nearly died of carbon monoxide poisoning (subscription required). But a look at the NCSL’s list indicates far fewer states acting to require CO units in hotels — Michigan, New Jersey and Vermont list hotels specifically.

In one widely quoted article from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (I saw it in this New York Times piece and forwarded it to the Gazette’s Lori Kersey, who quoted it in today’s paper), Dr. Lindell K. Weaver of the University of Utah explained the importance of the issue:

Between 1989 and 2004, 68 incidents of CO poisoning occurring at hotels, motels, and resorts were identified, resulting in 772 accidentally poisoned: 711 guests, 41 employees or owners, and 20 rescue personnel. Of those poisoned, 27 died.

Interestingly, Dr. Weaver noted:

Poisoning has occurred at hotels of all classes, including those described as “luxury” hotels.

Dr. Weaver wrote that Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Minnesota have also required carbon monoxide detectors in hotels. But in a survey of more than 100 chain hotel properties, Weaver found that only 11 percent had installed the devices. Dr. Weaver concluded:

Despite evidence of efficacy, CO alarms have not been installed widely by the lodging industry, even at properties where guests and employees have been injured by CO.

Hotel fires are highly publicized, whereas CO poisoning is less dramatic. Therefore, the impetus for national legislation mandating CO alarms in guest rooms is lessobvious. Nevertheless, a single incident can result in multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries. Guests at hotels, motels, and resorts can be protected from CO poisoning by installing a CO alarm in every guest room, like the installation of smoke alarms.

I looked around for a position paper from the hotel industry on this issue, and found one on the website of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Here’s what it said:

The safety of its guests is the highest priority of the lodging industry. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, practically odorless, and tasteless gas. It has multiple industrial uses. Trace amounts of it occur naturally and are part of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, in high enough concentrations, it can be deadly and the risks of exposure to abnormal levels of CO are well known and well publicized. Although there are no federal rules on CO detection, nor is AH&LA empowered to set standards and policies, we urge our members to continue their CO monitoring and prevention policies.

U.S. CSB photo

We ran a story at the top of the front page on Sunday about the aftermath of the propane explosion at the Little General Store in Ghent, W.Va. Four people died five years ago today in that disaster. As we explained:

On Jan. 30, 2007, propane gas at the Little General Store was suddenly released through a liquid withdrawal valve during a changeover between two tanks. Two propane technicians from Appalachian Heating, a firefighter and an emergency medical technician were among those killed when the explosion leveled the store.

Killed in the accident were Glenn R. Bennett, 44, of Appalachian Heating; Frederick Allen Burroughs, 51, of Cool Ridge, a Raleigh County building inspector and firefighter; Craig Lawrence Dorsey, 24, of MacArthur, a volunteer firefighter and EMT; and Jeffrey Lee Treadway, 21, of Beckley.

Six others were injured, but board officials said Friday the tragedy could have been even worse, given that the store had not been evacuated when the blast occurred. One of the injured, 74-year-old Donnie Ray Caldwell of Coal City, died in 2010.

CSB investigators concluded that the tanks involved were improperly located less than 10 feet from the store, a problem that propane company employees did not correct despite dozens of inspections. Board investigators also said that propane technicians were not properly trained to spot problems with the tank’s valves, and that local emergency responders had not been taught how to properly handle a propane accident.

In a statement issued Friday, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board had mostly good words for the way West Virginia officials and other responded to board recommendations for reform after the explosion. But the CSB’s original statement also noted one “disappointment”:

The Board was compelled to vote as “Unacceptable” action not taken by the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services. We urged the agency to require annual hazardous materials response refresher training for all emergency medical personnel in West Virginia. To date, training occurs only once every two years. The CSB believes recurrent annual training is critical for responders who must deal with hazardous materials emergencies such as with propane.

After the statement was issued, through, officials from the Office of Emergency Medical Services contacted the CSB to say that they had only the day before sent a letter saying they were rethinking the situation and planned to comply with the board’s recommendation. CSB spokesman Daniel Horowitz told me:

The letter did not arrive as of Friday. It was the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services who is making the change to their training requirements for annual hazmat training for EMTs. The staffer said it was put in the mail Thursday and I should receive it sometime this week.

I’ve reached out to the Office of Emergency Medical Services and its parent agency, the state Department of Health and Human Resources, but I’ve gotten no response so far.

It’s worth going back today, though, and revisiting this disaster by watching the CSB’s video animation recreating what investigators believe happened: