Gas Safety Week 2019

16 - 22 SEPTEMBER - HELP SPREAD THE GAS SAFETY MESSAGE

Gas Safety Week 2019

The annual Gas Safety Week will see organisations working together, to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances,

We are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week 2019, taking place 16 – 22 September.

The ninth annual Gas Safety Week will see organisations from across the UK working together, to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which 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

Alarming Facts on Gas Safety

  • Every year thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it, or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.
  • Gas Safe Register found almost 5 million people across the UK are putting themselves at risk by employing illegal gas fitters who aren’t properly qualified. 65% of all gas jobs carried out by illegal fitters were unsafe, with 1 in 5 so dangerous they had to be disconnected immediately.
  • 3 in 4 victims of illegal gas work hired the worker following a friend’s recommendation and 1 in 4 found them through an advert, wrongly assuming they were registered. In all cases the householder did not check the credentials of the worker before the work was carried out – you should always check the official Gas Safe Register.
  • Although there is awareness that gas appliances need to be safety checked annually, 43% of Britons don’t do it, and 10% have gas appliances which have never been checked.
Gas Safety Week 2019

Gas Safety Guidelines for Employers

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.

If this applies to you, you are duty-bound to do the following:

  • 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 of 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.
Gas Safe Register Engineers

Gas Safety Guidelines for Consumers

By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones.

Follow these few simple checks to keep you and your family safe.

  • Check your gas appliances every year. Gas appliances should be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants – make sure your landlord arranges this. Set a reminder so you don’t forget.
  • Look out for friends and relatives. Some people may be unable to arrange their own gas safety check or may be unaware of what they need to do to keep safe. Help your loved ones by ensuring that they have their appliances checked and serviced regularly.
  • Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered (see instructions below).
  • Check your engineer is qualified for the type of gas work you need doing e.g. natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the back of their Gas Safe ID card and on the Gas Safe Register website.
  • Check for warning signs that could indicate your (or others) appliances are 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 and too much condensation in the room.
  • Know the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.
  • Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm and make sure your friends and relatives have one too. Check they are marked EN50291 and display the British Standards’ Kitemark.
Install a CO alarm

Gas Safety Guidelines for Landlords

Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. Landlords must make sure maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

If you’re a landlord, you are legally obliged to make sure:

  • Gas pipework, appliances and flues provided for tenants 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 are carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
  • All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting.

Before any gas work is carried out always check the engineer is qualified to carry out the work that needs doing e.g. natural gas, domestic boiler.

You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card.

Encourage your tenants to also check the card when they arrive at the property.

Gas Safety ID Card

Gas Safety Guidelines for Tenants

By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones.

Follow these few simple checks to keep you and your family safe.

Check your Landlord’s Gas Safety Record. By law, your landlord must keep gas pipework, appliances and flues supplied for you to use in good condition. They must arrange a gas safety check of the appliances and flues every year and give you a record of the check. If your landlord refuses to provide you with one, you can report their details to the HSE.

Check any gas appliances you own every year. Your landlord is not responsible for gas appliances that you own, so you should arrange for these to be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered. You can find or check an engineer online (see instructions below) or ask to see their Gas Safe ID card when they arrive.

Check your engineer is qualified for the type of gas work you need doing e.g. natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the back of their Gas Safe ID card and the Gas Safe Register website.

Check for warning signs that could indicate your (or others) appliances are 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 and too much condensation in the room.

Know the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.

Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm and make sure your friends and relatives have one too. Check they are marked EN50291 and display the British Standards’ Kitemark.

Gas Safety Guidelines for Tenants

Gas Safety Guidelines for Carers

Six simple steps to help keep you safe and warm in your home:

  • Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix and service your appliances. You can find and check an engineer online (see instructions below) or call 0800 408 5500. If you are based in London, Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire or Kent, PHS Engineers Ltd can have a Gas Safe registered engineer out to you in no time.
  • Check both sides of your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card. Make sure they are qualified for the work you need doing. You can find this information on the back of the card.
  • Have regular servicing and maintenance. It is important that you encourage the person that you care for to get all their gas appliances checked regularly. Get the gas boiler, gas fire and gas cooker checked once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Annual maintenance not only helps keep the heating and hot water working properly, it helps keep the person you are responsible for safe.
  • Know the six signs of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Look out for the following signs that could indicate that a gas appliance is not working correctly and carbon monoxide may be present in the house: headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness. Unsafe gas appliances can put you at risk of CO poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions.
  • Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly. Have a look at the gas flame, for example whilst cooking. The flame should be crisp and blue. A floppy yellow or orange flame may be a sign that the appliance is not working correctly (except for fuel-effect fires that display this colour flame).
  • Is there sooting or staining? Dark staining around an appliance (like a gas fire) is a sign that it may not be working correctly and is producing carbon monoxide.
  • Is there a build up of condensation? A build up of condensation in the room where there is a gas appliance is a sign that an appliance may not be working correctly and is producing carbon monoxide.
  • Are vents or chimneys blocked to stop draughts? Gas appliances need ventilation to work correctly and it is important that these are not blocked to stop draughts.
  • Does the person you care for use the cooker to heat a room? Only use gas appliances for their intended purpose. For example, it can be dangerous to use a gas cooker as a form of heating. If you see the person you care for using a cooker to heat a room you must turn the cooker off and open a window to get some ventilation into the room.
  • Is the person you care for renting their home? In rental properties the landlord is legally responsible for the maintenance of the gas appliances that they provide, pipework and flues. They must also arrange a gas safety check with a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer every year and provide proof of this annual check by giving the tenant a copy of the Landlord’s Gas Safety Record.
Gas Safety Guidelines for Carers

Unsure how to find a Gas Safe registered engineer?

The following little graphic walks you through the process:

How to Find a Gas Safe Registered Engineer
How to Find a Gas Safe Registered Engineer

PHS is Gas Safe Registered – Registration No.: 507113

507113 - PHS Ltd
507113 - PHS Ltd
Gas Safety Check