School Heating & Gas Safety: Essential Maintenance

The smooth operation of a school primarily depends on the school administration, relevant personnel, policies, and processes. While the primary focus must be on education, the physical environment also plays a crucial role in a school's success. However, the role of the people responsible for maintaining it often remains unseen. The most important part of maintaining a conducive environment for the kids, especially during the colder months, is the heating system. You cannot expect a school in the UK without a perfect heating arrangement.

Maintaining safe and reliable heating and hot water systems in schools protects the students, teachers, and other staff. On the other hand, it also ensures that the school building is compliant with both legal and safety requirements. Maintaining a perfect heating system also helps reduce the energy bills. A poorly maintained heating system may cause a serious breakdown at any stage, not only disrupting the education process but also resulting in severe medical conditions for the students and teachers. Any such happening earns a bad reputation for the school and its management. 

Therefore, the school's heating system, as well as its gas safety, requires a comprehensive maintenance strategy. This blog will guide you through the essential maintenance steps for the heating system and gas safety of schools in the UK.

School Gas Safety – An Overview

Gas safety is the primary responsibility of building owners or, in most cases, building managers. They are legally responsible for maintaining the property’s gas safety at all times. The same is true for the owners or the property managers of the buildings where a school is functioning. The responsibilities of property managers, in the case of a school, are crucial due to the vast number of students and employees at stake. Hence, the schools and their property managers are legally bound to comply with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

The school's gas safety, as well as the heating system, is critical, as it involves multiple risks, including physical, medical, educational, and reputational loss.

• Fire and Explosion – A poorly maintained gas system in a school may cause gas leaks. The immediate threat associated with gas leaks is the possibility of a fire eruption. In more serious gas leak situations, an explosion may also occur. Any such happenings may result in physical damage to people and property. The students and employees may also face injuries and even deaths in more serious explosions and fires. The scale of losses due to fire or explosion might be considerably higher due to the presence of a greater number of people in the school.
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – Any faulty gas appliance or a blocked flue may result in the accumulation of the killer gas, carbon monoxide. If left unnoticed, it may lead to serious medical situations for students and employees. In such events, students may be at a higher risk, as they are more susceptible to the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. 
• Disruption of Heating and Hot Water Supply – A poorly maintained heating system may cause discontinuation of heating and hot water supply in the school, putting the students and teachers at risk of health issues, especially during the severe winter months. 
• Disruption of Educational Activities – In the event of any unexpected gas fault, the educational activities are among the first victims. It not only disrupts the educational process of the students but may also result in a chaotic situation for the parents, as they would require emergency arrangements to pick their children from the school. If the gas fault is not fixed urgently, the disruption of education may also linger on for several days, resulting in serious consequences.
• Reputational Loss – In the event of any of the above-mentioned situations, the school's reputation will be severely damaged. It may erode the trust of parents and students, ultimately damaging the school's overall reputation.
• Legal Compliance Issues – In the event of any mishap, the regulatory authorities may impose penalties on your school, especially if the legal requirements and safety standards are found inadequate. It may result not only in financial losses but also have an impact on the school’s reputation. 

Legal and Regulatory Obligations of School Management

The employers, owners, or school managers are legally required to comply with various regulations, as explained below:

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998

It is the basic law that governs the use of gas appliances in all residential and commercial properties, including schools. It requires that the property managers ensure the following:

• All the gas appliances and allied fittings must be installed and maintained by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer. Any work done by any other gas worker will be considered illegal.
• They are responsible for maintaining the school in a gas safe condition.
• Property managers are required to arrange an annual gas safety inspection for all gas appliances, pipework, flues, and chimneys. This is a prerequisite for getting a gas safety certificate.
• Any fault, detected at any time, must be fixed immediately.
• All the relevant installation and maintenance records must be preserved for at least two years.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Under the provisions of this act, employers are required to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the employees and other occupants of a building. For schools, it includes students, employees, visiting parents, other visitors, and contractors. In addition to the above, other regulations, such as the Building Regulations 2010, must also be complied with by the school or its property managers.

Essential Maintenance of School Heating and Gas Safety

The essential maintenance of the school heating and gas system can be summarized as follows:

• Daily Checking – This is a simple daily visual inspection that can be performed by on-site school maintenance staff. It involves inspecting all gas appliances, radiators, and pipes for any signs of wear and tear. Inspection of the boiler room is essential to check for any apparent leaks or faulty flames. Checking the working of thermostats and timers is also required daily. If any fault is noticed, the matter needs to be escalated to the relevant engineering staff.
• Monthly Inspection – The monthly inspection includes recording boiler pressure and other system readings. The responsible staff need to top up the boiler pressure, if required. During the summer breaks, the valves and drains can be made operational manually to reduce stagnation risks.
• Quarterly or Half Yearly Checks - Service checks by an on-site maintenance team or contractor (where permitted by the manufacturer) for minor checks. If the fault detected by onsite maintenance staff is beyond their competence level, the issue must be escalated to the management for calling a Gas Safe Registered engineer. The onsite maintenance staff is also required to check the working of CO alarms and smoke detectors.
• Annual Gas Safety Inspection – This is a mandatory requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Only a gas safe registered engineer is authorized to conduct the annual gas safety inspection. Boilers and flues must also be included in this inspection. On successful completion of the annual gas safety inspection, the engineer will issue a Gas Safety Certificate for schools. This certificate is valid for 12 months and must be renewed before expiration.
• After Major Works - Any work performed directly or that may affect any of the gas pipework, flues, combustion air paths, or building fabric requires a complete risk assessment and gas safety check. If necessary, hire the services of a professional risk assessment engineer or a Gas Safe registered engineer to assess the impact of the work done.

Heating System Maintenance Essentials

Heating system maintenance is a part of the annual gas safety inspection, but it needs extra vigilance to ensure its optimum performance throughout the cold months, without any disruption. Special attention must be given to the following:

• Visual inspection of radiators and pipework to check for leaks or corrosion. If necessary, perform bleeding of radiators to ensure efficient heat output.
• Checking the controls and the thermostat is also essential. Radiator valves should also be checked to ensure they operate correctly, allowing rooms to be heated perfectly.

Maintenance of the heating system in a school is the primary responsibility of both the school management and the property manager. They are responsible for ensuring proper checking not only during the annual gas safety inspection but also randomly to ensure an uninterrupted heating and hot water supply to the school.

Conclusion 

Gas safety in schools is essential, as it involves the safety of a greater number of people, especially the children, who are more vulnerable to gas-related risks. Similarly, the heating of schools is also crucial for the health of students and teachers. Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and other relevant laws, property managers or employers of a school are responsible for ensuring that the heating system is maintained in good condition throughout the colder months of the year. They are also required to ensure strict compliance with the regulatory requirements for the heating and gas safety of their schools.

Ideally, the responsible staff should arrange annual inspection of school boilers and radiators during the summer break or just before the onset of the winter season. It is important for the uninterrupted performance of the heating system. It also reduces the possibilities of any unexpected breakdown during the peak winter season.