Gas safety for commercial food businesses
As a food business owner, it is your responsibility to ensure you are complying with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
By law, you must have all gas appliances serviced regularly (normally once a year) by a Gas Safe registered engineer and hold a valid annual Gas Safety certificate.
Only a competent gas safe engineer (qualified to work on commercial gas appliances) is required to make any changes to commercial gas systems.
Find a Gas Safe registered engineer
Once you have had your gas appliances checked, you will be given a gas safety record or Gas Safety Certificate (CP42) with details of all the checks that were carried out.
To be legal and valid, your CP42 certificate should contain the following information:
- your name and address (or the name and address of your managing agent if they are dealing with this process)
- the correct address of the property that the gas safety certificate is for
- the date that the inspection was carried out
- a description of each appliance and flue inspected, and their location in the property
- details of any defects identified and the actions that have been taken to rectify them
- confirmation that appliances are working correctly and that they are safe
- the name, signature and Gas Safe number of the person who carried out the CP42 inspection
- a reminder date for your next inspection.
Before your gas engineer leaves the premises, check your CP42 certificate contains all this information clearly and accurately, as it could invalidate your gas safety certificate status if it is not properly filed in.
By law, a copy of your Gas Safety Record should be given to the current tenant of your building.
Please note: Our health and safety officers will ask for copies of the gas certificate during routine inspections.
Gas interlock system
All commercial catering establishments must have a gas interlock system installed.
Failure to have this system will not only compromise the health and safety of your employees and the general public, but it may also lead to formal action being taken against your business, which may result in legal notices being served, a fine, prosecution or even the closure of your kitchen.
Cleaning schedule
As part of your food safety management system, the cleaning of the burners should be added to your cleaning schedule.
A visual check of the ventilation should be carried out once a week.
All metal surfaces should be checked to ensure there are no accumulation of grease or dirt. Self-draining filters and collection drawers should be cleaned at least once a week. The mesh filters should be cleaned at least twice a week.
The extract ductwork should be cleaned frequently depending on the usage:
- heavy use (12 to 16 hours per day) - clean every 3 months
- moderate use (6 to 12 hours per day) - clean every 6 months
- light use (2 to 6 hours per day) - clean annually
Vigorously cleaning the gas rings/pipework may lead to a potential gas leak.
Accumulation of grease in the ductwork increases the risk of fire and this may invalidate your insurance for the property.