Gas appliances

The problem

Every year about 14 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances and flues which have not been properly installed or maintained. Many others also suffer ill health. When gas does not burn properly, as with other fuels such as coal, wood or oil, excess carbon monoxide is produced, which is poisonous.

You can’t see it. You can’t taste it. You can’t even smell it. But carbon monoxide can kill without warning in just a matter of hours.

You are particularly at risk when you are asleep because you cannot recognise the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. These include tiredness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, pains in the chest and stomach pains. These symptoms can mimic many common ailments and may easily be confused with flu
or simple tiredness.

If you or your family experience the above symptoms, and you believe carbon monoxide may be involved, you must seek urgent medical advice. Your doctor will need to test a blood or breath sample. Carbon monoxide quickly leaves the blood and tests may be inaccurate if taken more than four hours after exposure has ended.

You are at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if:

your appliance was poorly installed;
your appliance is not working properly;
your appliance has not been checked for safety or maintained regularly;
there is not enough fresh air in the room;
your chimney or flue gets blocked up;
you allow an engineer who is not on the Gas Safe Register to install or maintain
your appliance(s).

There is a particular risk if you sleep in a room where an appliance that is not of the
room-sealed type (eg a conventional gas fire) is left burning at night. (Flue outlets
for room-sealed appliances are commonly located on an external wall at a low level
protected by a cage rather than at or above roof level.)

A safe gas appliance

A dangerous gas appliance

The answers

NEVER use a gas appliance if you think it is not working properly. Signs to look out for include yellow or orange flames (except for fuel-effect fires which display this colour flame), soot or stains around the appliance and pilot lights which frequently blow out.

NEVER cover an appliance or block the convection air vents.
NEVER block or obstruct any fixed ventilation grilles or air bricks.
NEVER block or cover outside flues.

CAUTION Whenever draught exclusion, ceiling or extraction fans, double glazing or conservatory extensions are fitted to a room containing a gas appliance, the appliance should subsequently be checked for safety.

ALL gas consumers are advised to have appliances checked for safety at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

You could be entitled to a free safety check. If you are over 60, chronically sick, disabled, deaf or hearing-impaired, blind or visually impaired, you are entitled to join your supplier’s Priority Service Register. It is free to join and once a member you are entitled, among other things, to a free annual gas safety check (unless you live in rented accommodation where it is your landlord’s duty to ensure the check is done). For more information look at the back of your gas bill.

CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS are a useful back-up precaution but must NOT be regarded as a substitute for proper installation and maintenance of gas equipment by a Gas Safe registered engineer. If you decide to buy a carbon monoxide alarm, ensure it meets current safety standards (BS EN 50291) and carries the Kitemark. If in doubt ask a member of staff for advice. Always follow the manufacturer’s siting instructions.

If you smell gas, or suspect there is a gas escape or a carbon monoxide leak, you should immediately do the following:

Open all doors and windows.
Shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve (if you know where it is). If gas
continues to escape call National Grid on the Gas Emergency Freephone
Number 0800 111 999.
Make sure that any investigations or repairs are carried out by a Gas Safe
registered engineer.

The law

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 place duties on gas consumers, installers, suppliers and landlords. These regulations link with other safety controls on combustion equipment, eg the Building Regulations, which are standards for ventilation and flues. For your own protection remember:

by law anyone carrying out work on gas appliances or fittings as part of their business must be competent and registered with the Gas Safe Register. Always check your engineer is registered by asking to see their ID card which has a photo of the engineer, their business registration number and personal licence number, company name, the start and expiry date of the card and a security hologram. The reverse of the card details what kind of
gas work the engineer is able to do. You can also call Gas Safe Register during normal office hours on 0800 408 5500 or go to the website www.gassaferegister.co.uk;
by law only a competent person can carry out work on gas appliances or fittings. Do-it-yourself work on gas appliances or fittings could be dangerous and is likely to be illegal;
by law you must not use any gas appliance or fittings you know or suspect to be unsafe. Through Gas Safe Register, HSE has asked all registered engineers to disconnect any gas appliance or fittings which are so
dangerous as to be a threat to life if they are used. If your engineer asks your permission to disconnect such an appliance or fitting it will be in the interests of your own safety, and that of others, to agree. Before you use this appliance or fitting again, have it repaired by a Gas Safe registered engineer;
by law, landlords are generally responsible for making sure that gas fittings and flues are maintained in good order, and gas appliances and flues are checked for safety once in a period of 12 months. They must also
keep a record of the safety checks for at least two years and issue the latest certificate to existing tenants and any new tenants before they move in. If you own the appliance, you are responsible for its maintenance and safety checks;
by law, with the exception of the room-sealed type, there are restrictions on the installation of gas appliances such as fires, boilers and heaters in sleeping accommodation. These restrictions apply only to appliances
fitted after 1 January 1996 and to those already installed in rooms in rented accommodation which have been converted to bedrooms after 31 October 1998. Appliances which are not room-sealed, eg conventional gas fires of 14 kilowatts or less, may only be fitted if they have a device which automatically turns the gas supply off before a dangerous level of fumes can build up. However, for appliances above 14 kilowatts only those of a room- sealed type are allowed in such accommodation;
by law, since 31 October 1998, it has been illegal to install in any room instantaneous water heaters which are not room-sealed or fitted with a safety device which automatically turns the gas supply off before a dangerous level of poisonous fumes builds up;
by law, mains gas transporters/emergency service providers (ESPs) must, in the event of an emergency, make the situation safe. They should establish the cause of a gas escape and take action to prevent the gas from escaping within 12 hours. In the case of actual or suspected escapes of carbon monoxide they should respond to reports from consumers and make the situation safe.

Further information

HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995 Website: www.hsebooks.co.uk (HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops and free leaflets can be downloaded from HSE’s website: www.hse.gov.uk.) British Standards can be obtained in PDF or hard copy formats from the BSI online shop: www.bsigroup.com/Shop or by contacting BSI Customer Services for hard copies only Tel: 020 8996 9001 e-mail: cservices@bsigroup.com. For information about health and safety ring HSE’s Infoline Tel: 0845 345 0055 Fax: 0845 408 9566 Textphone: 0845 408 9577 e-mail: hse.infoline@natbrit.com or write to HSE Information Services, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.

HSE Gas Safety Advice Line
Tel: 0800 300 363

HSE’s Gas Safety website: www.hse.gov.uk/gas/index.htm
Gas Safe Register website: www.gassaferegister.co.uk