The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, which came into force on 31 October 1998 take over from the previous Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994. These 1998 Regulations deal with the safe installation, maintenance and use of gas systems mainly in domestic and commercial premises. The Regulations place responsibilities on a wide range of people, including those installing, servicing, maintaining or repairing gas appliances and other gas fittings; as well as suppliers and users of gas, including landlords. HSE and local authorities have joint enforcement responsibility for these Regulations. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations aim to prevent injury to consumers and the public from either carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning or fire and explosion.
In particular the Regulations require:
More information on the legal duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 can be found on the FAQs pages.
HSE has issued an exemption from regulation 26(9)(c) of the Gas Safety Installations and Use Regulations to allow gas installers to use a different test method to check the safe operation of certain types of gas appliance that cannot fully meet the testing requirements set out in the Regulations.
Regulation 26(9)(c) requires a person working on a gas appliance to check that its operating pressure or heat input (or both) are correct and to notify any defects. However, in certain circumstances, it is not possible for the installer to carry out either test.
Since the introduction of gas appliances that incorporate pre-mix burners and zero set regulators (air/gas ratio valves) it has not been possible to measure the operating pressure of this type of appliance, and the only way to satisfy the requirements of regulation 26(9)(c) has been to measure the gas rate.
There are some situations where this type of appliance is connected to an unmetered gas supply (such as bulk storage LPG installations or multi-occupancy dwellings which do not have separate meters for each apartment). In such cases it is not possible to measure the gas rate without interrupting the gas supply to put a test meter in line.
The exemption will allow installers to test this type of appliance using a portable combustion gas analyser (flue gas analyser) as an alternative to the tests specified in the Regulations. The testing will be carried out in accordance with the relevant part of BS 7967 – Carbon monoxide in dwellings and the combustion performance of gas fired appliances .
The exemption came into force on 16 June 2008 and applies only to appliances that:
The ultimate purpose of enforcement is to ensure that duty holders manage and control risks effectively, thus preventing harm.
In the case of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, HSE’s main enforcing authority is the Field Operatives Directorate (FOD). They enforce the duties of landlords, the registration body and installers. There are a range of enforcement options for FOD to take, depending on each situation. More information on HSE’s enforcement policies can be found on the general enforcement pages.
If you feel there is another issue that HSE should become involved with then contact the Gas Safety Advice Line on 0800 300 363 and they will be able to advise you on your best course of action.
CORGI has in place its own procedures for the routine monitoring of registered businesses and installers, and for investigating complaints over their gas work, it would not normally be appropriate for HSE to become drawn into the consideration of individual cases of gas installer competence.
CORGI’s complaint system is outlined on their website. They have an online form you can fill out with your complaint, or if you would prefer to write or contact them by phone then their details are provided on our registration body page.
