Gas safety compliance for commercial premises

Your gas safety duties

If your business premises have any gas appliances, pipework, or fittings, you have legal duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. These duties apply whether you own the premises, lease them, or are a landlord letting to tenants.

Gas safety failures can cause explosions, fires, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Around 10 people die each year in the UK from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances, and many more suffer serious illness. Getting gas safety right is not optional - it is a criminal offence to use an unregistered gas engineer, and penalties for non-compliance include unlimited fines and imprisonment.

This guide covers the practical steps you need to take to comply with gas safety law in your commercial premises.

Gas Safe Register: the legal requirement

It is illegal for anyone to carry out work on gas appliances, fittings, or pipework unless they are registered with the Gas Safe Register. This applies to all gas work - installation, maintenance, repair, and safety checks. There are no exceptions.

Annual gas safety checks

If you are a landlord letting commercial or residential premises with gas appliances, you must arrange an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The check must be carried out within 12 months of the previous check.

For owner-occupied commercial premises, annual gas safety checks are not a specific legal requirement, but the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires you to maintain a safe workplace. In practice, annual servicing and safety checks are strongly recommended as part of your duty to ensure the safety of employees and visitors.

What the annual check covers

• All gas pipework, appliances, and flues on the premises
• Boilers, gas fires, water heaters, cookers, and catering equipment
• Gas pressure and flow rates
• Flue operation and ventilation adequacy
• Safety devices and controls

After the check, the engineer issues a Gas Safety Record (commonly called a CP12 certificate). Keep this record for at least 2 years. If you are a landlord, you must provide a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days and to new tenants before they move in.

Carbon monoxide alarms

Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced by faulty or poorly ventilated gas appliances. It is colourless and odourless, making it impossible to detect without an alarm.

Even where CO alarms are not legally mandatory for your premises, installing them is strongly recommended as a basic safety measure. Place alarms in any room containing a gas appliance, on the ceiling or at head height, between 1 and 3 metres from the potential source.

Test alarms monthly, replace batteries as needed, and replace the entire unit at least every 10 years or per the manufacturer's guidance.

Emergency procedures: if you smell gas

If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak:

1. Do not switch on or off any electrical switches, lights, or appliances
2. Do not smoke, light matches, or use any naked flame
3. Do open doors and windows to ventilate the area
4. Do turn off the gas supply at the meter if you can reach it safely
5. Do evacuate the premises
6. Do call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside the building

The emergency number operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. An emergency engineer will attend to make the situation safe.

Landlord versus occupier responsibilities

Understanding who is responsible for gas safety depends on your tenancy or lease arrangements:

• Landlords are responsible for maintaining gas appliances and pipework that they own and for arranging annual safety checks. This includes appliances provided as part of the tenancy.
• Tenants or occupiers are responsible for any gas appliances they install themselves and for not interfering with gas fittings. They should report any gas safety concerns to the landlord promptly.
• Shared areas in multi-tenanted buildings are typically the landlord's responsibility. Check your lease for specific obligations.