The correct installation and maintenance of gas services and equipment is a legal requirement. The work must be done by gas engineers and fitters whose competence has been accredited by an approved agency.
- In the Republic of Ireland they are approved by the Bord Gais Eireann Registered Gas Installer scheme.
- Elsewhere the accreditation scheme is the Gas Safe™ Register.
All domestic gas appliances (heating, boilers, cookers etc.) used in the course of work, irrespective of where they are, must be checked on an annual basis and a certificate of safety obtained. Employers and individuals who let residential accommodation are required to carry out these tests before each tenancy begins and then once a year giving a copy of the safety report to the tenant to show that the appliances are safe.
For industrial gas equipment inspection schedules are not specified. However, the plant should be routinely and regularly maintained. It is also necessary to inspect and check the integrity of the gas supply and distribution system in the premises. For natural gas systems these should be formally checked and a ‘safety certificate’ obtained at least every five years.
Where liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is supplied to domestic, commercial or industrial equipment from a bulk supply tank the tank, fittings and associated pipe-work must be installed and maintained to recognised standards. The service pipework carrying the LPG vapour from the tank into the building and point of use must be assessed routinely by a competent qualified person. The assessment will review the state of the service pipework and advise the date by which the next inspection should be completed. These inspections may require the excavation of underground pipework.
