The Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 is the primary piece of legislation covering work-related health and safety in Northern Ireland. It sets out a lot of your employer’s responsibilities for your health and safety at work. Additionally, specific regulations cover particular areas, including lead, asbestos, chemicals, construction work, and gas safety. Visit the HSENI website for the many ways in which they can help you with these particular issues.
If you have boiler cover, which you can sometimes acquire from your energy supplier, alongside your gas and electricity tariff, the annual servicing of your boiler, which normally costs £80, may be covered. If you’re a landlord, you’re required by law to have all gas appliances supplied by you to be safety checked annually by a registered engineer. Pipework and flues should also be inspected. If you’re a tenant, you should receive a record of the annual gas safety checks on the property, known as the the Landlord Gas Safety record, at the start of your tenancy, and within 28 days of any new check.
The British Compressed Gases Association (BCGA) Code of Practice 7 (CP7): The Safe Use of Oxy-fuel Gas Equipment (Individual Portable or Mobile Cylinder Supply) and Code of Practice 47 (CP47) The Safe Use of Individual Portable or Mobile Cylinder Gas Supply Equipment provide guidance on maintenance and recommend, for example, that regulators and flashback arrestors are checked annually, both visually and functionally, by a competent person and replaced every five years. Read extra info on https://www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk/welding-equipment/cp7-cp47-gas-equipment-safety-inspections.html.
When things go wrong, gas can leak out of appliances and cause fire, explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning. To avoid dangerous gas leaks, all gas appliances should be fitted, maintained and serviced by qualified and Gas Safe registered professionals only. Whilst it’s important to have a professional tradesperson install and service your gas appliances, there are a number of checks you can make yourself and precautions you can take to make your home gas safe.