How to Prepare for a Gas Safe Virtual Inspection

Using gas for homes and industries has long been a common practice worldwide, including in the UK. There might be several reasons behind its popularity as a better energy source, but one thing makes it the best fuel: it is the safest among all conventional fuels, such as coal or oil. Moreover, gas is more environmentally friendly than coal and oil. 

However, gas cannot be considered a zero-risk energy source. It has a few potential risks. It can cause fire and explosion, mainly due to leakage. That’s why it is often said that gas is safe unless confined within the gas pipework. Another possible threat associated with using gas for homes and industries is that it may trigger the emission of carbon monoxide, which is dangerous for human health and may even result in deaths. 

Various gas accidents are reported every year that mainly occur due to non-observance of safety standards. The UK authorities have formulated a comprehensive gas safety law, which has played a key role in reducing the number of gas-related mishaps. The gas safety regulations were introduced in the UK under the title "Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. One of the provisions of this law binds the landlords to conduct annual gas safety inspections and get a valid gas safety certificate for their rented properties. 

Key Features of Gas Safety Regulations

Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and its further amended version titled "Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendments) Regulations 2018" bind the landlord to get their properties inspected for gas safety checks on an annual basis. The amendment made in 2018 has made it more flexible for landlords when it comes to the annual inspection date. 

Some of the main features of the gas safety regulations are as under:

• The law aims to protect people and properties from the potential risks associated with gas, both for domestic and non-domestic purposes.
• Landlords are responsible for ensuring their tenants' safety against any of the gas hazards.
• Landlords must arrange an annual inspection of all the gas appliances and allied pipework and installations, including the boilers and flues, for gas safety. This inspection can only be conducted by the gas-safe registered engineers.
• The engineer will provide a gas safety certificate, commonly known as CP 12, upon successful completion of the annual gas safety inspection.
• The gas safety certificate is valid for one year and needs to be renewed annually, preferably in the last two months before the expiry of the current certificate.  
• Landlords must provide a copy of the gas safety certificate to their current tenants within 48 hours of its issuance. They are also required to give a copy of this certificate to new tenants within 28 days. 
• All the gas-related work must be done by the Gas Safe Registered Engineers. Any work done by any other gas engineer will not be valid for obtaining a gas safety certificate.

The Role of Gas Safe Register 

The “Gas Safe Register” is an official organization in the UK that plays a regulatory role in matters related to gas safety. It is responsible for the registration of qualified gas safety engineers. These engineers are authorized to work on gas appliances and installations, in domestic and non-domestic properties. The gas safe register issues a license to these engineers, which is valid for one year only and has to be renewed to enable the engineer to continue working on the gas appliances and installations. 

The gas safe register maintains a complete record of all registered engineers, which can be found on its official website. Landlords are required to engage any of these registered engineers for the annual gas safety inspection to get a valid gas safety certificate. 

With advancements in technology in recent years, annual gas safety inspections have also been conducted virtually by gas-safe registered engineers. This has made the process easier for both landlords and engineers, hence gaining countrywide acceptance and popularity.

Understanding Virtual Gas Safety Inspection

The virtual gas safety inspection process is just like the conventional annual gas safety inspection. However, there is a major difference between the two. Traditionally, a gas-safe registered engineer has to visit the site physically to conduct the annual gas safety inspection. He would physically inspect all the gas appliances and installations on the property. 

Contrary to the conventional method of gas safety inspection, the process of virtual inspection does not require the physical presence of the gas-safe registered engineer on the site. Having an internet connection, he can inspect while sitting in his office, through his laptop or tab. He would need an assistant or facilitator, who must be present on the site and would walk through the entire premises to provide a virtual on-screen view of all the gas appliances installed in the building, with the help of a webcam. 

How to Prepare for A Gas-Safe Virtual Inspection

Preparing for a virtual gas safety inspection is not much different from the conventional physical annual gas safety inspection, except for the non-presence of the engineer on the site. All the stakeholders, the gas safe registered engineer, the landlord, and the tenant need to prepare themselves for the annual inspection to play their role effectively and efficiently to make the virtual inspection, a success. 

Role of the Landlord in Preparations for Virtual Gas-Safe Inspection

Landlords are the key persons in the annual virtual gas safety inspection. However, their role is somewhat restricted in that they are responsible for scheduling the date and time of the inspection. Additionally, they are responsible for hiring the services of the gas-safe registered engineer and coordinating and facilitating the annual virtual gas safety inspection. 

Once done, they would be required to formally notify the tenants about the inspection date and time so they can manage to provide easy access to the premises to the facilitator of the gas-safe registered engineer for conducting the gas safety inspection virtually.

Role of Tenants in Preparations for Virtual Gas Safety 

Once the landlord has scheduled the annual gas safety inspection and the tenants are informed accordingly, the tenants' role starts. The tenant needs to give access to the premises and the gas appliances and installations to the person nominated as the facilitator for the virtual inspection by the gas-safe registered engineer. The personal presence of the tenants is not obligatory. However, they may opt to be present on the site if they want to. 

The Role of the Facilitator

The facilitator is a person nominated either by the landlord or the engineer. He is required to be equipped with a webcam and an efficient internet connection. He will move around the premises and show the inspecting engineer an online view of all the gas appliances and pipework. If required and asked by the engineer, he will also transmit photos of any particular appliance or part of it to facilitate the engineer. 

Role and Preparations of the Gas-Safe Registered Engineer for Virtual Gas Safety Inspection

The gas-safe registered engineer will need some basic things to conduct the annual virtual gas safety inspection, such as:

• A laptop or a tablet with a webcam fitted therein.
• An efficient internet connection. 
• A reasonable space in his office or home to conduct the virtual inspection. 
• A facilitator or helper must be physically available on the site of inspection. The facilitator will also require internet access to provide the gas safety inspector with live visuals. 

The gas-safe registered engineer will also need to prepare for the scheduled gas safety inspection, as he agreed. Though it is a routine matter for an experienced gas safety engineer, he should get prepared by making a checklist. Firstly, he must understand his work on the inspection day. The checklist may include the following:

• Complete visual inspection of all the gas appliances installed on the property.
• Check the correctness of the installations, and whether installed as per the standard safety protocols.
• Gas pressure testing.
• Check for ventilation adequacy.
• Check the flues and chimneys.
• Check the working status of safety devices.
• Identify the faulty appliances and report them according to the standard operating procedures.

The engineer will compile his report remotely using live visuals of the gas appliances. If he detects any defect or fault in any of the appliances, he will ask the landlord to fix it. Otherwise, on successful completion of the annual virtual inspection, he will produce the gas safety certificate, which will be shared with the landlord virtually. 

Conclusion

The annual gas safety inspection is a mandatory requirement for all landlords of rented properties. The inspection needs to be conducted on all gas appliances installed on the premises and the allied gas pipework. Traditionally, this inspection was conducted by the gas-safe registered engineer through a physical visit to the premises. However, with the help of advanced technologies, the annual gas safety inspection has gone virtual in the recent past. This has facilitated both the engineers and the landlords. 

The engineer can conduct the inspection while sitting in his office or home with the help of a facilitator who will be present on the property under inspection. This process is gaining popularity, and the inspection to ensure gas safety is being shifted to virtual inspection.