Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Food and Safety Team in Environmental Health have been out and about across the District checking gas installations in catering premises.
The project was carried out in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive checking that the gas installations in catering premises were safe, and that the gas engineers installing, servicing and certifying them are appropriately qualified and registered with the Gas Safe Register.
Many catering premises throughout Stratford District use gas for heating or cooking. When safely installed, regularly maintained and used properly, gas installations and appliances pose few risks. However, if gas is not managed properly, the risk of fire, an explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning is greatly increased. So the purpose of this project was to reduce the risk of incidents or fatalities associated with the poor management of, or neglect of, gas safety issues. It was also part of work on a national scale to raise awareness of the Gas Safe Register taking over from CORGI.
During routine Health & Safety and Food Safety inspections the team checked when gas installations were last serviced and who carried out the work. They then checked the Gas Safe Register to ensure that the gas engineers were appropriately registered.
- 28 premises were checked during the course of the project.
- 15 (54%) of these premises were unable to provide evidence of satisfactory maintenance of their gas installation.
- Of these 15, 11 have now had their installations checked and certified following intervention by the team, and the other 4 are being pursued until they comply.
- Of these 11, 1 was found to have a dangerous installation with remedial action required.
- 3 unregistered gas engineers were identified during the course of the project. Their details were immediately passed to the HSE and the Gas Safe Register for action against the unregistered engineers.
Cllr Simon Jackson, Portfolio Holder for the Environment Service said: "This project was successful in identifying catering premises in our District with a poor standard of gas installation maintenance. As a result of our interventions this situation has improved through informal action, education and raising awareness.
"This was achieved with the minimum of additional officer time, as the project was carried-out during routine inspections. We have also raised awareness of the need for maintenance of gas installations, and of the need for businesses to ensure that the gas engineers they employ are properly registered with the Gas Safe Register. It also identified a number of gas engineers working outside their registered competence, which was one of the aims of the project."
Following the success of the project, officers will continue to check gas safety at a proportion of premises they visit on Health & Safety and Food Safety matters.
- The penalty for non-compliance with Regulations is a fine of up to £20k
- The Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the official gas safety body on April 1st 2009.
- Gas engineers undertaking gas work must be registered with a body approved by HSE. The only body currently approved is the Gas Safe Register. For further information about the gas registration scheme, go to www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
- For further information on gas safety, contact the HSE Gas Safety Advice Line 0800 300 363 or visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic
