Gas health and safety law and enforcement

Gas health and safety law

Gas health and safety law aim to ensures the safe installation, maintenance and use of gas in domestic and business premises.

HSE and local authorities have joint enforcement responsibilities under the The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to aim to prevent injury to consumers and the public from either carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning or fire and explosion.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 place responsibilities on a wide range of people, particularly:

Gas Safe Register

Gas Safe Register monitors the competency of those businesses and their operatives to undertake gas work safely and to investigate complaints against registered engineers.

Gas engineers

Individual gas engineers or gas installation businesses are required to be Gas Safe Registered.

Anyone carrying out work on gas appliances or fittings as part of their business must be competent and a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

Frequently asked questions for gas engineers / installers.

Landlords

Landlords must arrange maintenance by a Gas Safe Registered engineer for all pipework, appliances and flues, which they own and have provided for their tenants use.

Landlords must also arrange for an annual gas safety check to be carried out every 12 months by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

Landlords must keep a record of the safety check for 2 years and issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed and issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in.

• Frequently asked questions for landlords and letting agents.

Gas consumers

HSE strongly advises that all gas consumers should have their gas appliances serviced regularly for safety by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. 

More information

• Gas – general Frequently asked questions
• Frequently asked questions for homeowners
• Frequently asked questions for tenants
• Exemption from Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations - Regulation 26(9)(c)

HSE gas safety enforcement

The ultimate purpose of enforcement is to ensure that duty holders manage and control risks effectively, thus preventing harm.

HSE's Field Operatives Directorate (FOD) mainly enforces the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations. They enforce the duties of landlords, the registration body and engineers.

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 HSE 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.

Routine monitoring by Gas Safe Register

Gas Safe Register has procedures for the routine monitoring of registered businesses and engineers, and for investigating complaints over their gas work.

HSE would not normally become drawn into the consideration of individual cases of gas engineer competence.

Complaints about gas engineers

• Complaints information on the Gas Safe Register website