All
businesses nationally and in particular food/catering businesses, restaurants,
pubs, takeaways and other catering businesses across the country must make sure
their gas appliances are safe. Annual maintenance inspection and servicing is
the only way that this can be achieved.
Owners
and managers must only use Gas Safe Registered engineers to carry out work on
gas appliances. Gas Safe Register (GSR) is the Government approved registration
scheme for gas engineers in the UK.
The register of 126,000 gas engineers aims to protect 21 million gas consumers
from dangerous gas work. It is a legal requirement for any gas engineering
business or self employed gas engineer carrying out domestic or commercial gas
work to be registered under the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations
1998.
Regulation
(3) (1) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 states:
- "No person
shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel
unless he is competent to do so."
Regulation
3(3) of the same regulations states:
- "No employer
shall allow any of his employees to carry out any work in relation to a
gas fitting or service pipework and no self-employed person shall carry
out any such work, unless the employer or self-employed person, as the
case may be, is a member of a class of persons approved for the time being
by the Health and Safety Executive."
Following
a number of recent prosecutions, those being targeted are people who may be
doing unsafe work on gas appliances.
In
the latest case a Suffolk
plumber, who put lives at risk by illegally working on domestic gas appliances,
has been sentenced to six months in prison.
The plumber falsely told householders he was registered with the GSR and
used an invalid registration number on the safety certificates he issued.
One
piece of work carried out by the plumber on a restaurant premises in Suffolk was judged by a
qualified engineer to be so dangerous it represented "an immediate danger
to life or property." As a result
of leaking gas, the restaurant was forced to close for two days whilst the
appliances and installations were made safe and repaired.
The
HSE Inspector said
"It
is against the law for anyone who is not registered with Gas Safe to carry out
work on a gas appliance. When unqualified workers try to bypass the law in this
way they are not only putting themselves at risk of prosecution, and
potentially a large fine or a spell in prison - they are also putting their customers'
lives at risk”. Also "Working with
gas appliances is difficult, specialised and potentially very dangerous. Only
engineers who are qualified and registered should attempt it. "HSE will not hesitate to prosecute
those who break the law in this way."
The
Chief Executive of Gas Safe Register added:
"If
you're employing an engineer to fit, fix or service gas appliances, you should
always make sure that that person is Gas Safe registered. If they say they are,
don't just take their word for it. Check they are on the Gas Safe Register and
check their ID card when they arrive at your door.
"You
shouldn't take any risks, badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can
cause fires, explosions, gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning."
Carbon
monoxide is an invisible gas which can be emitted from a faulty heating or
cooking appliance or any appliance that burns a combustible fuel, such as gas,
solid fuel, petrol, or paraffin. It
cannot be smelled and special equipment is required to detect it. If a sufficient amount is inhaled, carbon
monoxide can be lethal.
HSE
Statistics show on average, carbon monoxide poisoning arising from the use of
gas appliances claims the lives of around 20 people each year.
Gas
engineers undertaking gas work must be registered with a body approved by HSE. The only body currently approved is the Gas
Safe Register. Further information about the gas registration scheme, is
available on the website www.gassaferegister.co.uk
For further information please contact us.