Gas safety at work

Employers and the self-employed have a duty to ensure that gas installations, appliances, pipe work and flues are maintained in a safe condition.

Health and Safety law relating to gas, aims to ensure the safe installation, maintenance and use of gas in domestic and business premises. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities have joint enforcement responsibilities under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to prevent injury to consumers and the public from either carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning or fire and explosion. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 place responsibility on a wide range of people.

Gas Safe Register is the official gas registration body for Great Britain. Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the gas registration body on April 1, 2009. The CORGI gas registration scheme ended March 31, 2009 and is no longer recognised by law as the gas safety register.

Important - check and see if your gas engineer is now a gas safe registered engineer. You should also ask to see your engineer's gas safe register ID card.

The gas safe register ID card displays the engineers own unique licence number. Also displayed on the card is the type of gas work they are qualified to do. For example, if you have a food business with commercial gas appliances on site you must ensure the gas safe engineer's card states he is qualified to undertake commercial gas work. Don't just ask, also check with the gas safe register and the ID card before any gas work is carried out.

Remember first ask then check twice (via the register and their ID card).

Gas engineers have a range of qualifications that allow them to carry out specific types of gas work. It's important to check what work they are qualified to do before you use them. You can find this information on the back of your gas engineer's gas safe register ID card.

Gas engineers

Individual gas engineers or gas installation businesses are required to be gas safe registered. Anyone carrying out work on gas appliances or fittings as part of their business must be competent and a gas safe registered engineer.

Carbon monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, poisonous gas produced by incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, including gas, oil, wood and coal. Carbon-based fuels are safe to use. It is only when the fuel does not burn properly that excess CO is produced, which is poisonous.

You can't see it, taste it or smell it but CO can kill quickly without warning.

Carbon Monoxide - Guidance

Liquefied petroleum gas

LPG is used as a fuel in a range of applications including in heating and cooking appliances, industrial applications, in vehicles and as a propellant and refrigerant.

Liquefied Petroleum - Guidance