Who Can Carry Out Commercial Gas Safety Checks in the UK?

The annual gas safety check is a legal requirement for landlords and business owners of commercial units in the UK. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 legally bound landlords and business owners to ensure that the gas appliances and allied fittings are safe for use. They are also legally required to ensure the safety of employees and other occupants of their commercial properties against the potential risks of gas. 

Gas is generally considered a safer energy source than coal and oil. However, gas is potentially risky, especially when it starts leaking. Leakage of gas may result in an abrupt fire or explosion, posing a significant danger to the occupants. On the other hand, the emission of carbon monoxide can pose an even more serious threat to the health and safety of the employees. 

Carbon monoxide is generated from faulty gas appliances due to the incomplete combustion of gas. It tends to accumulate within the premises due to insufficient ventilation or blocked flues. In this case, the employees may suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning, which is quite a serious medical condition, if left unattended. 

In view of these potential risks associated with the usage of gas, the landlords and owners of all commercial units are required to conduct a comprehensive gas safety inspection annually. But a very common question, often asked, is who is authorized to conduct this annual gas safety check. Keep reading this blog to find out the correct answer with relevant details. 

Commercial Gas Safety Check

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended from time to time, are the primary legislation governing the use of gas in residential and commercial units. The main purpose of these regulations is to ensure the safety of people and property against the potential risks associated with the usage of gas. 

Under the provisions of these regulations, landlords and business owners of commercial units are responsible for ensuring the safety of employees against any possibility of a gas mishap. Accordingly, landlords and business owners are legally required to conduct an annual gas safety inspection on all gas appliances and associated pipework to confirm whether these are safe for use or not. 

The Process of Commercial Gas Safety Check

Important steps involved in annual commercial gas safety checks are summarized here:

• The landlord or the business owner needs to schedule the annual gas safety inspection for the commercial properties where gas is used and one or more gas appliances are installed. Boilers and flues are also included in the gas appliances. 
• This is not a one-time activity; it is an annual requirement that needs to be done before the expiry of the current inspection. The annual gas safety check is valid for 12 months. 
• On the day of the annual commercial gas safety inspection, the engineer will visit the premises and conduct the following inspection steps:
  • Physical inspection of all the gas appliances to check for any signs of wear and tear.
  • Physical inspection of the pipework to check for any rusty or damaged parts.
  • Check for gas leakage. It can happen in the rusty or damaged part of gas pipes, loose joints, incorrect connections, or from any faulty gas appliances. 
  • The engineer needs to check the gas pressure being received at the gas appliances. It should be strictly within the prescribed limits. Higher or lower gas pressure results in the malfunctioning of appliances. 
  • The engineer needs to inspect the gas flame, which has to be clear blue. Any deviation in color, such as orange or yellow, is an indication of incorrect burning of gas. 
• Once all the gas appliances are checked, the engineer will record their status in the annual commercial gas safety check report. Mainly, there would be two categories: Safe or Fit for Use and Unsafe or Not Fit for Use. For those appliances that are not fit for use, the engineer may further categorize them as under:
  • Immediately Dangerous (ID) – Appliances labeled as ID can no longer be used and need to be repaired before being used again.
  • At Risk (AR) – These are the appliances where faults have been detected. These should be repaired at the earliest.
  • Not to Current Standard (NCS) – These appliances can be used without any immediate risk involved. However, these have to be replaced with the latest versions to be on the safe side. 
• On successful completion of the annual commercial gas safety check, the engineer will issue the Commercial Gas Safety Certificate (CP42).
• In the event of an unsuccessful commercial gas safety inspection, the property will be declared "unsuccessful". The landlords or the business owners need to get the issues resolved on an urgent basis and schedule a re-inspection to get the desired Commercial Gas Safety Certificate (CP42). 
• Failure to have a valid gas safety certificate has legal consequences, which may involve the closure of the business, fines, imprisonment, and loss of insurance compensation. 

Who Can Carry Out Commercial Gas Safety Checks in the UK?

Under the provisions of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, it is mandatory that all gas work has to be done by a gas safety engineer who is registered with the "Gas Safe Register". The Gas Safe Register is an official body in the UK, responsible and the only authorized organization to register Gas Safety Engineers. 

Roles and Responsibilities of the Gas Safe Register

• Gas Safe Register is the only authorized body in the UK to register and maintain the credentials of qualified gas safety engineers.
• The gas safety engineer, intending to register with the Gas Safe Register, must hold a basic qualification for working on gas appliances, including installation, service, and maintenance. 
• The basic certification of being a gas safety engineer is COCN1 (Core Commercial Gas Safety). Engineers holding this certification are eligible to work on Commercial Gas Systems, such as boilers and pipework. The holder of this certification can work on most of the Commercial Gas Systems.
• Apart from the basic qualification, other certifications are as under:
  • CDGA1 (Commercial Ducted Air Heaters): The holder of this qualification is authorized to work on commercial warm air heaters. 
  • ICPN1 (Commercial Catering Equipment): It deals with gas-powered commercial catering equipment. 
  • TPCP1 / TPCP1A (Testing and Purging of Pipework): The holder of this qualification can conduct commercial gas testing work on gas pipework.
• The Gas Safe Register is responsible for maintaining the complete record of the registered gas safety engineers, with their qualification level. This information is available on their official website. 
• The Gas Safe Register issues a license, also known as an ID card, to the registered gas engineers. This card or license is valid for one year and the engineer needs to get it renewed before its expiry, so as to continue working on commercial gas systems, legally. 
• The Gas Safe Register is also responsible for registering businesses (companies) that intend to provide gas services to clients. For this purpose, the company must have at least one Gas Safe Registered Engineer on its payroll. 
• It is essential to note that Gas Safe Registered engineers must be affiliated with a registered company to qualify for work on gas systems, such as conducting annual commercial gas safety inspections. 

Check the Credentials of the Gas Safe Registered Engineer Before Assigning the Job

The availability of a registered commercial gas safety engineer can be checked on the official website of the Gas Safe Register. However, before assigning them the task of annual gas safety inspection, the following needs to be checked and verified:

1. Check the ID card of the engineer to verify the following things:
   1. Name and contact number.
   2. Check the photograph, which must be affixed to the card.
   3. Check the validity of the ID. If the ID is expired, the engineer is not authorized to work on a commercial gas system.
2. Check whether the engineer is qualified to work on Commercial gas Systems.
3. Check whether the engineer is qualified to work on specific commercial gas appliances. Not all commercial gas engineers are qualified to work on all types of gas appliances. Generally, they can work on normal commercial gas systems, but for certain specific types of gas systems, they might not be well-qualified. Need to check it minutely, before assigning the task.
4. The engineer must hold the basic qualification COCN1, which is the minimum qualification to be authorized for general commercial gas work.
5. Additional qualifications, such as CDGA1 and ICPN1, are only required if the inspection involves some specialist appliances.
6. This information is necessarily printed on their ID card, which has to be checked by the landlords and business owners.

Important

The credentials and qualifications of the Gas Safe registered engineer must be confirmed before assigning the commercial gas safety inspection task to them. This can be done by:

1. By visiting the website of the Gas Safe Register.
2. Search for their detailed information through their ID Number.
3. Alternatively, call the official helpline number of the Gas Safe Register to verify the engineer's credentials. 

Conclusion

An annual gas safety inspection is compulsory for commercial properties that have one or more gas appliances in use. It is a legal requirement under the prevailing gas safety regulations. The landlords or the business owners are legally responsible for conducting the annual commercial gas safety check, which is also a prerequisite for getting a valid Commercial Gas Safety Certificate (CP42). Failure to have a valid commercial gas safety certificate may result in legal consequences for the landlords and/or the business owners.

Only a Gas Safe Registered Engineer is legally authorized to work on commercial gas appliances. Another thing to note is that the engineer must be on the payroll of a Gas Safe registered company/business. Moreover, the engineer should be qualified to work on commercial gas systems. Before hiring the services of a commercial gas safe registered engineer, these important things have to be confirmed by the landlords. This can be done by searching on the official website of the Gas Safe Register. 

Additionally, most of the information is also available on the official ID card of the engineer. Ensure that the task is assigned to the right person. Anyone not qualified to work on Commercial Gas Systems should not be hired for the annual commercial gas safety check.