Be Gas Safe at home. Understand the risks of dangerous gas work and only use a Gas Safe registered engineer
We take it for granted that our boilers, cookers and gas fires are safe. It is only when there is a problem with an appliance that many people take any notice of it at all.
What are the gas safety risks of dangerous gas work?
Dangerous gas work can be deadly. Badly fitted and poorly serviced appliances can cause the following gas safety risks:
- gas leaks
- fires
- explosions
- carbon monoxide poisoning
Top tips for gas safety
1.Only use a Gas Safe Registered Engineer to fit, fix or service your gas appliances, including your:
o gas boiler
o gas fire, gas cooker or hob
o central heating system, radiators or your hot water system, if they are connected to either a Natural Gas or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) supply
2. Always check the engineer’s Gas safe Register ID card. All Gas Safe registered engineers carry a Gas Safe Register ID card, with their own unique licence number, showing the type of work they are qualified to do.
3. Get your appliances regularly serviced and safety checked every year, or in accordance with your manufacturer’s guidelines, by a Gas safe registered engineer.
Your Gas Safe registered engineer will carry out tests and checks to establish your appliances are operating safely. Where an appliance or pipework has been installed in an unsafe way, or is operating unsafely and the engineer can not rectify the situation immediately, they will follow the guidance outlined in the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GIUSP) to make the installation safe. This is the industry accepted document for guiding engineers on dealing with unsafe situations.
4. Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm. An alarm will alert you to the presence of the poisonous gas carbon monoxide, produced by unsafe gas appliances. Make sure you know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
5. If you think there might be a gas leak or notice any signs of carbon monoxide, act fast and follow our advice for Emergency Gas Leak.
Make sure that your new home is gas safe
Homebuyers cannot always be sure when the gas appliances in their new home were last safety checked and serviced.
Ask your vendor for an annual gas safety record which shows that a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked the gas appliances.
If your vendor cannot supply an up to date annual gas safety record, you should get a Gas Safe registered engineer to check the gas appliances before you move in. This check should include the gas boiler, oven, hob and gas fires. The registered engineer will give the vendor a gas safety record which they should handover to you before you move in. See Atlantic’s “Pre-Purchase Gas Safety Check” under Surveys
GAS SAFETY ON HOLIDAY
Better Gas Safe than sorry – at home and away
Poorly maintained or badly fitted gas appliances can put you at risk from gas leaks, explosions, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
When you go away, whether staying in a B&B, villa, chalet, hotel, caravan or boat, you might be more vulnerable than in your own home. You don’t always know how often the gas appliances in your accommodation have been safety checked or serviced or if it’s been done by someone qualified. 
Badly fitted and poorly maintained gas cookers, boilers and fires can cause gas leaks, explosions, fires, and carbon monoxide poisoning – which can kill.
Gas safety regulations vary across the world. Gas Safe Register recommends that anyone taking a trip away follows simple gas safety precautions, and we would recommend you checking their website for tips on staying safe http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/pdf/Holiday%20factsheetv3.pdf
Knowing what signs to look out for could save your life!
