Do you want to hear some scary statistics?
Every year, poor gas work and faulty or old appliances are responsible for approximately:
- 40 accidental deaths
- Over 200 non-fatal cases that require hospitalisation in England and Wales; and
- In excess of 4,000 people attending A&E, diagnosed with Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.*
In addition, In England and Wales, approximately 40 deaths are reported each year due to CO poisoning.**
11 – 17th September is Gas Safety Week, and so here are our tips for schools on how to avoid becoming part of these statistics.
Regular Servicing/Safety Checks
Ensure that your gas appliances (and not just boilers) are safety checked annually and regularly serviced in line with the manufacturers’ recommendations. In our H&S audit work with schools, appliances that we typically find to have been missed include:
- Gas-powered equipment in Design Technology workshops (e.g. chip forges, brazing hearths etc.)
- Hobs and ovens in Food Technology classrooms
- Gas taps in the Science labs
- Gas radiant heaters in areas like sports halls etc.
There are also those random gas appliances that nobody knows about…. I once came across staff in an Art department using a Raku kiln where the LPG gas hosing had definitely seen better days!
Don’t Neglect Your Gas Proving Systems
We also often find that gas proving systems, such as those that may be installed in your Design Technology workshops, Science labs, and kitchens, aren’t being serviced. To ensure that they remain operational and effective, you’ll need to arrange for your gas proving systems to be regularly serviced in line with the manufacturers recommendations (this is typically every 12 months).
Conduct Due Diligence Where Third Parties are Responsible
Where a third party has responsibility for arranging servicing and safety checks of gas appliances on your site (e.g. such as contract caterers), you should ensure that you have a process in place to request and retain copies of reports/certificates to confirm that these are taking place – you’re likely to need these as evidence for your fire risk assessment anyway!
Don’t File the Documentation Without Checking for Remedials
Make sure that any remedial actions identified by engineers during servicing or safety checks are addressed. We often see that reports have been received and filed, without staff checking for remedial actions.
Use Competent Persons
Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, repair and service/check your appliances (you can find and check an engineer via the online Gas Safe Register or call 0800 408 5500). Not all engineers can work on all types of appliances, and so you’ll also need to ensure that they are qualified for the type of work being undertaken (you can find this information on the back of their Gas Safe Register ID card). These checks should form part of your control of contractors procedures.
Don’t Improvise When it Comes to Gas Appliances
Ensure that staff and pupils only use gas appliances for their intended purpose and aren’t tempted to use them for something they weren’t meant for (e.g., staff and pupils on a camping trip using their cooking gas burner as a heater for their tent – I always discuss this risk when speaking to the EVC and DofE lead during H&S audits).
Make Sure Staff Know How to Spot a Problem
Ensure that staff working with gas appliances know how to recognise any signs that an appliance may not be working properly, e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance, and too much condensation in the room.
Provide and Maintain Adequate Ventilation
Spaces housing gas appliances require adequate ventilation, as this aids in dispersing harmful gases (such as CO) and decreases the possibility of hazardous gas build-up.
Staff need to ensure that any mechanical ventilation systems are turned on during use, and such systems require ongoing servicing and maintenance to ensure that they remain operational and effective. You’ll also need to ensure that all vents/air bricks are kept clear as they are vital to ensure that gas appliances burn properly; and that any chimneys are kept clear, and are cleaned and checked regularly.
Install Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms
Carbon monoxide is a silent and odourless killer. Audible CO alarms offer an early warning system to your staff and pupils in the event of CO presence, enabling quick evacuation and response, and so should be installed where appropriate. This is typically in any room housing fixed combustion appliances, and/or any rooms where solid fuel is burnt (such as an open fire or log burner), although your Gas Engineer should be able to provide further advice. In some cases, such as for tenanted properties, the provision of CO alarms is a legal requirement.
You’ll also need to test CO alarms regularly to ensure that they remain operational.
Install Leak Detection Systems
Installing gas leak detection systems is a proactive technique to detect suspected gas leaks immediately, and so makes sense both from a Health & Safety and Business Continuity perspective. Devices can be strategically positioned in rooms where gas appliances are installed to provide early warning of a problem, allowing you to react quickly to avoid any negative consequences.
Install Lockable Isolating Valves In Teaching Rooms
In teaching rooms where fixed gas appliances are used, such as in Science labs, Design Technology workshops, and/or Food Technology classrooms, Building Bulletin 100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools recommends that a lockable isolating valve should be installed to enable gas supplies to appliances to be shut off at the end of each day. During our H&S audits, we often find that these have been installed but that staff aren’t in the habit of using them!
Ensure that E-Stops and Isolation Valves are Readily Accessible
We have found them down behind the back of a chip forge and behind deep fat fryers in the past! Staff need to be able to access any gas e-stops and isolation valves quickly in an emergency. They should also be clearly signed, and relevant staff (e.g. Science Teachers and Technicians, Design Technology Teachers and Technicians, Food Technology Teachers and Technicians, Catering staff, and Estates/Maintenance staff etc.) should be made aware of their location and how and when to operate them.
Establish and Communicate Emergency Procedures
Ensure that your staff know exactly what to do and who to call if they smell gas or suspect immediate danger. This is especially important for residential staff and/or those staff who are on site outside of normal hours when Estates/Maintenance staff may not be present. Arrangements for ensuring gas safety (including emergency procedures) should be outlined in your H&S Policy.
Spread the Word!
Educate your pupils (and staff!) in gas safety. Perhaps you could build this into your PHSE lessons, assemblies, or inset days? The Gas Safe Charity has a range of free educational resources (designed for pupils aged 9 – 11) available on their website.
Get Clued Up!
There are a number of useful guidance documents available that are specific to schools as follows:
- Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers IGEM/UP/11 Edition 3 – Gas installations for educational establishments – this standard covers the design, installation, operation and maintenance of gas pipework, systems and appliances used for teaching purposes in educational establishments, including schools, colleges, universities and training facilities; and applies to both new and existing pipework and appliances.
- Building Bulletin 100: Design for Fire Safety in Schools (Section 3 contains guidance specifically for the design of laboratories and technology rooms, kitchens, and boiler rooms).
- Building Bulletin 81: Design and Technology Accommodation in Secondary Schools: A Design Guide
- CLEAPSS G014 – Designing and Planning Laboratories
- BS 4163:2021 – TC Health and Safety for Design Technology in Secondary Schools and Similar Establishments – Code of Practice
Have Questions or Need Help?
If you have any questions or are interested in finding out more about our Health & Safety advisory and audit services, then please contact us.
*Source: Gas Safe Charity Progress Report 2016
**Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
