The Importance of Gas Safety Inspections

What is a gas safety inspection?

While gas safety inspections primarily focus on appliances, they also cover safety devices, flues and air vents. After the inspection is complete, you will receive a gas safety certificate to show that your building has been checked by a registered engineer.

A gas safety inspection will make sure that your appliances are:

• Suitable for the room they’re located in
• Securely fitted and connected to the gas pipework
• Correctly functioning and operating as they should be

Commercial gas safety inspections

Commercial gas safety inspections are a legal obligation and are essential in ensuring health and safety compliance. Without regular gas safety inspections in the workplace, your employees could be at risk of gas leaks, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The risk of unsafe gas appliances

There are three main risks of unsafe gas appliances that a registered engineer will be on the lookout for during an inspection.

Gas leaks

A gas leak can lead to fires or explosions. If you think you can smell gas, then you should call an emergency service provider immediately. During gas safety inspections, engineers will perform visual inspections of pipework and tighten any loose pipes to ensure there are no leaks.

Gas leaks

Gas is extremely combustible, which is why it must be burned in a safe and controlled manner. If an appliance is faulty and is releasing more gas than it should be, it could ignite, which can cause a fire or explosion. Gas engineers will check the condition of appliances that burn gas to make sure they’re working as intended and releasing the correct amount of gas.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

There are around 60 deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning every year in England and Wales. You might not always be able to smell when gas is leaking or detect when carbon monoxide is present. The best way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning is to have your gas appliances regularly serviced.

Spot the warning signs

If you spot any of the following signs, you should schedule a gas safety check immediately:

• Your appliance isn’t working properly
• It produces a floppy yellow flame rather than a crisp blue one
• Black/brown marks on or around the appliance
• The boiler pilot light keeps going out
• Increased condensation inside the window

These signs indicate that your gas appliances need servicing, but you shouldn’t wait for any more of these to happen before scheduling an inspection. To comply with gas safety rules in the workplace, you need to have an annual service. This will help to prevent any of your gas appliances from becoming potentially dangerous and will minimise the risks of any gas-related incidents.

Tempus FM

Tempus Facilities Management is a family-run business based in Southend-on-Sea. Tempus has expanded and developed over the last ten years and is now an established facility management company providing nationwide services.

With operatives based across the country, Tempus can react to the real-time needs of our clients and quickly arrive on-site to resolve any urgent situations that may arise. We also provide planned maintenance to proactively prevent issues or downtime and ensure health and safety compliance at all times.

It might be the case that your building has been vacant due to coronavirus and you haven’t had a gas safety inspection during the lockdown. Tempus can provide you with a commercial gas safety inspection to make sure you’re complying with health and safety regulations at the time of your reopening after COVID-19.

To speak to a member of our team and discuss any of our services in more detail, call us on 01702 548 950 or email us at helpdesk@tempusfm.co.uk. We’re available 24/7/365, so you can have peace of mind that we’ll always be there when you really need us.