What Are Gas Safety Records and Why Are Those Important?

Gas is a must-have facility in residential and commercial premises these days. Safe and economical, it has become the most popular energy source in most parts of the world, including the UK.

Though gas is considered quite safe for home and industrial or commercial purposes, it has some potential risks, such as fire, explosion, and emissions. While fire and explosion may result in huge losses to people and properties, carbon monoxide is equally dangerous for human health and life. Every year, many gas accidents are reported in the UK, involving injuries and deaths.

The main reason behind these fatal accidents is non-adherence to gas safety protocols. The gas safety regulations were formulated to ensure the safety of gas users in homes and commercial properties. A recent report indicates that with the successful implementation of these regulations, more than 68,000 homes have been able to avoid gas accidents in one year. That reflects the importance of the gas safety regulations, with gas safety records being an integral part.  

Gas Safety Regulations

To ensure the safety of the end users, the UK Government introduced gas safety regulations under the title “Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.” One of the gas safety regulations provisions is the legally binding requirement that landlords have their properties inspected for gas safety annually to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate, often referred to as CP12 or Gas Safety Records.

Various improvements and amendments have been made to this basic law to make it more effective in preventing fatal gas accidents. Accordingly, an amendment was made through “The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2018.” This amendment has provided flexibility to landlords for conducting the annual gas safety inspection in the last two months before the current gas safety certificate expires.

The above law and its further amendment make it compulsory for landlords to conduct an annual gas safety inspection on all the gas appliances and pipework in their properties by hiring the services of a qualified and registered gas safety engineer. The gas safety engineer must be registered with the gas safe register.

Gas Safe Register 

Gas safe register is an official organization in the UK that is responsible for registering qualified gas safety engineers. Gas Safe Register maintains a complete record of these engineers and issues them a license to work on gas appliances and installations. The license is valid for one year and needs to be renewed annually. Under the law, only the engineer registered with the gas safe register is authorized to conduct gas safety inspections at homes and commercial properties. On successful inspection and satisfying himself that the gas appliances are functioning in conformity with the safety standards, he will issue a Gas Safety Certificate, also called Gas Safety Records or, more commonly, CP 12.

Validity of Gas Safety Records

The Gas Safety Certificate is valid for 12 months and needs to be renewed annually before the expiry of the current certificate. But there was an anomaly in this part of the regulations. If a landlord gets it renewed any time in the last two months before the expiry of the current certificate, practically, he would be getting this inspection done 11 times in 10 years.

For example, if the expiry date is 30 April 2023 and you renewed it on 15 March 2023, the next expiry would be 15 March 2024 instead of 30 April 2024. So, the length of the gas safety certificate's currency keeps reducing each time.

This ambiguity was removed after an amendment in 2018. The expiry date will remain constant, irrespective of the actual renewal date. Hence, in the above example, even if you get the gas safety check renewed at any time, say in March or April 2023, the next expiry would still fall on 30th April 2024.

Issuance of Gas Safety Record

The issuance of a gas safety record is subject to the successful completion of a gas safety check conducted by a registered gas safety engineer who must be registered with a gas safety register. It needs to be done once a year, as the gas safety certificate expires in 12 months.

The gas safety record or gas safety certificate will have the following basic information:

• Date of inspection.
• Complete address of the property inspected by the engineer.
• Name of the landlord or his representative or agent.
• Name and identity number of the gas safety engineer, as appears on his ID Card issued by Gas Safe Register.
• Signature of the gas safety engineer.
• Complete details of gas appliances checked by the engineer, including boilers, flues, and associated pipework.
• The precise location of each appliance, i.e., where they are installed on the premises.
• The current status of the appliances. This will essentially include each appliance's actual operational performance, precisely mentioning whether it is fit for use or not.
• The appliances declared unfit for use need to be further classified as under, based on the severity of the fault:

• ID—Immediately Dangerous. Appliances marked as ID need urgent repair or replacement. They are practically unfit for instant use and dangerous without proper fault rectification.
• AR—At Risk. The appliances rated as AR must be replaced urgently, as they are not fit for use. However, their risk is relatively less than the above category ID, but they must be repaired as soon as possible.
• NCS—Not to the Current Standards. These appliances can be used safely, though they are not according to the current standards due to their older versions. However, they must also be replaced with new ones soon.

Once the annual gas safety check is done on all gas appliances and installations and necessary repair or replacement is done, the gas safety engineer will give you a gas safety certificate, also known as a Gas Safety Record, within 48 hours. This is usually in digital form these days. You can, however, get it printed for safe storage.

Important

Whether printed or digital, gas safety records must be kept in safe custody for at least two years. You may have to show this record as proof of having conducted the annual gas safety check on your premises at any time, especially in case of an accident. If possible, it is also advisable to keep a historical record of all previous inspections.

Importance of Gas Safety Records

A valid gas safety record is a legal requirement for landlords of residential and non-residential properties. It is also important for the safety of the property and its occupants.

Here are some of the aspects of the annual gas safety check record that make it most important:

• The first and foremost significance of annual gas safety checks is that the engineer classifies all your gas appliances according to their current operating status, which helps you decide whether they need replacement or repair. Appliances marked as ID will have to be replaced immediately, while those rated as AR may have to undergo necessary repairs before they can be used.
• As notified by the manufacturers, gas appliances work properly on prescribed gas pressure. The appliances must be getting the required operating gas pressure. The inspecting engineer will specifically check each appliance in this respect to ensure the optimum operational efficiency of each gas appliance.
• Incomplete burning of gas results in the generation of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is one of the main threats associated with the use of gas appliances. A gas safety inspection will detect any such problem with the appliances. If any such emission of CO is detected, the gas engineer will fix it immediately to make your home safe from any possible threat of CO.
• A valid gas safety record proves that the building has been inspected for gas safety under the provisions of the gas safety regulations. In case of any mishap, this record can save you from any possible legal complications.
• A landlord cannot rent out his property without a valid gas safety record.
• If the property is insured, you might be eligible for compensation in case of a gas mishap. However, this is subject to having a valid gas safety certificate.

Conclusion

Gas is a necessity of life, these days. The importance of having gas in your home is beyond any doubt, especially when living in a colder part of the globe. Generally, the use of gas is quite safe unless you violate any of the gas safety regulations. However, the chances of a gas accident cannot be ruled out.

To prevent any possible gas mishaps, you need to inspect your property for gas safety annually. A valid gas safety record is also necessary, which is also a legal requirement. Hence, every landlord must conduct an annual gas safety inspection and obtain a gas safety certificate for his property. This certificate or record is not only a legal requirement but also important for your property's and its occupants' safety. It can save you from any legal complications in a gas accident at your property.