South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
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Gas Safety

Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly and without warning, as you cannot see it, taste it, or smell it.

The law places duties on the responsible person (employer) at any place of work to ensure that any gas appliances, installation pipework and flues under their control, is maintained in a safe condition to prevent risk of injury.

Advice for commercial caterers

  • Gas equipment must be installed, commissioned, and maintained by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. You may be required to provide evidence of this during an inspection by the Environmental Health Officer (EHO), so ask your Gas Safe registered engineer to provide you with the relevant paperwork. If the EHO does not receive evidence of ongoing maintenance or if there are any safety concerns, they may serve a formal notice stating what actions must be taken to comply with the law.
  • Check the engineer is Gas Safe registered and appropriately qualified for the type of work you need doing. Not all Gas Safe registered engineers can work on all types of gas or appliances. The onus is on you to ensure that the engineer is qualified to work on your gas supply, as well as the type of gas appliances you have. For example:

In a fish and chip shop, the engineer must be qualified to work on:

·     Natural gas/LPG [depending on your supply]

·     Catering

·     Fish and chip range

In a mobile catering vehicle, the engineer must be qualified to work on:

 

·     LPG

·     Commercial mobile catering

·     [the appliance type] – for example, commercial catering range cookers LPG

 

Advice for landlords

Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. If you’re a landlord, you are legally obliged to make sure:

  • Gas pipework, flues and appliances provided for tenants’ use are maintained in a safe condition.
  • All gas appliances and flues provided for tenants’ use have an annual safety check. Your tenants can report you to the HSE if you don’t provide one, so it’s important to remember!
  • A Gas Safety Record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in.
  • You keep a copy of the Gas Safety Record until two further checks have taken place.
  • Maintenance and annual safety checks must be carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. It’s a good idea to encourage your tenants to also check the card when the engineer arrives at the property.
  • All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting.
  • A carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is required to be fitted in every habitable room of a rental property containing gas appliances (excluding appliances used for cooking purposes). As a landlord, you are required to carry out a checks and tests to ensure that carbon monoxide alarmsin the rental property are working the day any new tenancy begins.
  • Before purchasing a CO alarm, always ensure it complies with British Standard EN 50291 and carries a British or European approval mark, such as a Kitemark. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations about how you should fit and test your alarm to ensure that the unit and the batteries are in good condition.

Here is a guide to some additional checks that you can do to stay gas safe:

  • Gas pipework, flues and appliances provided for tenants’ use are maintained in a safe condition.
  • All gas appliances and flues provided for tenants’ use have an annual safety check. Your tenants can report you to the HSE if you don’t provide one, so it’s important to remember!
  • A Gas Safety Record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in.
  • You keep a copy of the Gas Safety Record until two further checks have taken place.
  • Maintenance and annual safety checks must be carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. It’s a good idea to encourage your tenants to also check the card when the engineer arrives at the property.
  • All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting.
  • A carbon monoxide (CO) alarm is required to be fitted in every habitable room of a rental property containing gas appliances (excluding appliances used for cooking purposes). As a landlord, you are required to carry out a checks and tests to ensure that carbon monoxide alarmsin the rental property are working the day any new tenancy begins.
  • Before purchasing a CO alarm, always ensure it complies with British Standard EN 50291 and carries a British or European approval mark, such as a Kitemark. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations about how you should fit and test your alarm to ensure that the unit and the batteries are in good condition.

Here is a guide to some additional checks that you can do to stay gas safe:

  • Check for warning signs that could indicate a gas appliance is not working correctly. Signs may include lazy yellow/orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance, a pilot light that keeps going out, too much condensation in the room, or error messages on the appliance’s control panel.
  • Check that vents or flues are not blocked. Vents are there to ensure gas appliances work safely; blocking them could prevent this.
  • Check your knowledge. Remember the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse, and loss of consciousness.
  • Check before doing DIY. Before drilling or hammering, check that there is no risk of hitting a gas pipe. Never DIY on a gas appliance; if you suspect there is something wrong with the appliance or it is not working correctly, call a Gas Safe registered engineer. You can find one at co.uk or call 0800 408 5500.

This content was last updated on September 11th, 2024