If you are the owner or landlord of a commercial property such as a hotel, restaurant, school or gym, then it’s essential that your gas system is checked frequently to avoid any accidents to your staff or your customers. Thankfully, gas explosions are rare in the UK thanks to well-made boilers and cookers, but also because there are specific regulations in place to prevent such accidents. However, when they do occur they can be devastating, destroying buildings and wounding or even killing those in the building or close to the area.
Due to the dangers associated with gas appliances, homeowners and commercial properties should have a Gas Safety certificate to prove that the appliances in use have recently been tested by a professional and classified as safe.
Who Can Carry Out A Gas Safety Check?
To be able to write a certificate of Gas Safety, the inspection must be undertaken by an engineer who is registered on the UK Gas Safe register and is cleared to check commercial boilers with an output greater than 70kW. This allows them to knowledgeably and safely carry out any testing of all of your gas appliances such as the boiler, cooker and fireplace.
Not only does a visual inspection take place to ensure that everything is clean and in good working order, but internal inspections too, including the pressure and flow of gas into the appliance. The whole extraction system which is used to remove gases from the combustion need to be checked as well for suitability.
What Is On A Gas Safety Certificate?
This certificate will be a complete review and assessment of the appliances in your home. It should contain all of the important details from the inspection, including:
- Name and registration number of the engineer
- The name of the commercial property owner
- Date the inspection was carried out
- Date the next inspection is due
- Which appliances were checked
- The results of the tests
- Whether any new parts or repairs were needed
Which Law States That I Need A Commercial Gas Safety Certificate?
The main law that pertains to gas safety in the UK is the Gas Safety Regulations of 1998 which covers both Installation and Use. It applies to systems which run on natural gas brought in externally from pipes, or LPG bottles and canisters which are connected to the boiler, fireplace or cooker. It covers the appliances, and any flues or extra fittings needed whether in a commercial building or in a rented retail premises.
Businesses are legally obliged to have a certificate declaring them to be safely operating across all of the appliances, and this needs to be conducted every 12 months, before the 12 month mark is up.
What Happens If I Don’t Get A Gas Safety Certificate For My Commercial Property?
If you fail to get a valid and in-date certificate for your commercial property for any of your devices, whether you just forgotten or have purposely not done it in time, then you can be subject to sanctions including:
- A fine totalling thousands of pounds
- A prison sentence
- Closing of the business if it’s deemed unsafe
Just some of the most recent fines for landlords who have not maintained their gas connections and appliances properly include one landlord who was charged £44,500 for poisoning their tenant with carbon monoxide. There is also the case of another who was charged £14,000 in total for not having an 11 year old boiler serviced for many years – and carbon monoxide at dangerous levels was detected in the property.
It’s simply not worth the risk to your staff, customers, clients, visitors or tenants to leave your boiler unchecked for so long. A full commercial boiler service costs much less than you think and only takes around 60-90 minutes to complete, and this only needs to take place every six to twelve months. You will be issued with a legal certificated demonstrating the safety of your appliances and gas supply, and you can have peace of mind that the boiler is in good working order for many months down the line.
Are you concerned about the boiler on your commercial premises? Do you need a Gas Safety certificate or is your boiler due a service soon? Then get in touch with Rowlen, we can help with the servicing of any kind of boiler – gas, electric, LPG oil and biomass too. We can attend any kind of establishment, from schools and restaurants to hotels and retail units.
