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Executive
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This Code of Practice provides guidance on the scope and levels of training of
gas installers to be of an acceptable standard, gives a summary of the relevant
legislation, and provides suggestions for course contents as part of a training
programme.
This Code has been approved by the Health and Safety Executive and gives advice
on how to comply with the law. This Code has a special legal status. If you are
prosecuted for breach of health and safety law, and it is proved that you have not
followed the relevant provisions of the Code, a court will find you at fault, unless
you can show that you have complied with the law in some other way.
Page 2 of 19
Health and Safety
Executive
Preface
This Code of Practice has been drawn up in consultation with representatives
from the Confederation of British Industry, the Trades Union Congress, the Local
Authority Associations, gas consumers’ organisations and the Health and Safety
Executive, under the auspices of the Health and Safety Commission’s Advisory
Committee on Dangerous Substances.
The text of the Code was prepared by a Working Group which included
representatives from the Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers, the
Institution of Gas Engineers, the Construction Industry Training Board, the City and
Guilds of London Institute, British Gas and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry
Technical Association.
The Code provides guidance on the scope of the training necessary for installers
if it is to be of an acceptable standard. The appropriate standard for each aspect
of training needs to be agreed between the training organisations and the ‘gas
industry.
The training objective should be to meet the needs of individuals as far as possible.
The topics listed in the Code should therefore be grouped in appropriate modules.
Examples are given in Appendix 3.
Contents
Notice of Approval 5
Further Information 19
Notice of Approval
By virtue of Section 16(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and
with the consent of the Secretary of State for Employment, the Health and Safety
Commission has on 24 August 1987 approved the Code of Practice entitled
Standards of Training in Safe Gas Installation.
The Code of Practice gives practical guidance with respect to Sections 2(1), 2(2)(c)
and 3(1) and (2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 3 of
the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 with regard to standards of
training in safe gas installation.
Signed
A J LORD
1 This Code of Practice has been approved by the Health and Safety Commission,
with the consent of the Secretary of State, under Section 16(1) of the Health and
Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for the purpose of providing practical guidance on
the requirements of Sections 2(1), 2(2)(c) and 3(1) and (2) of the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974 and of Regulation 3 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use)
Regulations 1984 with regard to standards of training in safe gas installation.
Status
2 Although failure to observe any provision of this Code is not in itself an offence,
that failure may be taken by a Court in criminal proceedings as proof that a person
has contravened the Regulation or Section of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act
1974 to which the provision relates. In such a case, however, it will be open to that
person to satisfy the Court that he has complied with the Regulation or Section of
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 in some other way.
Other documents
Legislation
3(1) It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such
a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his
employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their
health or safety.
3(2) It shall be the duty of every self-employed person to conduct his undertaking
in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that he and other
persons (not being his employees) who may be affected thereby are not thereby
exposed to risks to their health or safety.
The matters to which the duty in Section 2(1) extends include in particular
3(1) No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting unless he is
competent to do so.
3(2) The employer of any person carrying out such work in the performance of a
contract of service shall ensure that paragraph (I) above and the following provisions
of these Regulations for the time being in force are complied with.
Scope
6 In this Code the words gas installer mean any person who installs, services,
maintains; removes or repairs gas systems whether he is an employee, self-
employed or working on his own behalf (viz 0.1. V). Gas installation means all or
any of the activities listed in the previous sentence. Gas system means all gas
installation pipework, fittings and appliances as well as the provision of ventilation
and flueing.
7 Employers of gas installers will not be complying with their duties under sections
2(1), 2(2)(c) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act)
or with Regulation 3 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 if
the installer is not competent. Similarly, a self-employed gas installer will not be
complying with his duty under section 3(2) of the HSW Act or with Regulation 3 of
the 1984 Regulations if he is not competent. An employee or a person working on
his own behalf (viz D.l.Y) will not comply with Regulation 3 of the 1984 Regulations
if he is not competent.
10 This Code necessarily covers the full range of training in gas installation.
However, gas installers are required to be competent in the work they undertake. It
follows, therefore, that their training need be relevant only to that work.
11 The Code is intended to give practical guidance on standards of training for
the safe installation, servicing, maintenance, removal and repair of gas systems,
including those which are subject to the Gas Safety (Installation and Use)
Regulations 1984. It is primarily intended to apply to gas installers working with
domestic and commercial installations, and with those industrial installations which
are similar to those found in domestic and commercial premises.
12 The gas work for which the Code sets out training standards covers work with
mains gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Mains gas includes not only the more
commonly used natural gas, but any other gas supplied through pipes (eg town
or coal gas, synthetic natural gas and methane from waste). Insofar as this Code
gives practical guidance with regard to section 2(1), 2(2)(c), 3(1) and 3(2) of the
HSW Act it applies to portable or mobile LPG appliances as well as to piped gas
appliances. Portable or mobile LPG installations do not normally need installing but
need competent installers to service, maintain and repair them.
13 Gas installation should not be undertaken except by an installer who has
passed an appropriate full training course, or in the case of an experienced installer
has passed an appropriate assessment test following if necessary, a suitable
refresher training course. Training should incorporate methods of assessment which
ensure that an appropriate standard has been reached.
15 Every gas installer should have adequate knowledge of the nature of the gas
with which he is working and of the technology relating to its combustion and use.
Installation of systems
17 A gas installer should fully understand safe methods for installing the type of
gas system with which he is working. He should be able to carry out the installation
safely, leave it safe to use and should not be considered competent if he cannot
meet these requirements.
(a) where and how gas pipes and fittings, including valves, meters, governors and
gas appliances should be safely installed, and the relevant aspects of building
construction;
(b) how to site and install the gas system safely with particular attention to safe
ventilation and flueing;
(c) associated electrical work, such as the basic requirements of electrical power
supply circuits as appropriate, eg overcurrent and shock protection from
electrical circuits, protection against the environment, earthing and bonding;
(d) electrical and other controls of the types appropriate to the systems he is
working with and how to apply controls safely;
(e) when and how to check the whole system adequately before it is
commissioned; and
(f) how to commission the system, leaving it safe for use.
Installation of appliances
19 A gas installer should fully understand how the various types of gas appliances,
such as water heaters, cookers, space heaters, central heating boilers or warm
air units, with which he is working should be safely installed, safely used, and
safely maintained. He should be trained to the standard appropriate for the type of
appliance with which he is working, and should not be considered competent to
work with a type of appliance for which he has not been trained.
20 The training should be such as to inculcate and test a full understanding
21 A gas installer should be able to service, maintain, repair, disconnect and
reconnect the appliances with which he is working safely, with due regard to good
working practice, leaving them safe to use.
(a) proper knowledge of servicing techniques for the gas appliances the installer is
dealing with;
(b) proper knowledge of their maintenance requirements;
(c) proper skill at putting these techniques into practice;
(d) proper knowledge of the basic steps of fault-finding, including the location
of faults, determination and removal of the cause, and checks on repairs and
systems; and
(e) the ability to follow manufacturers’ instructions, fault diagnosis charts and wiring
diagrams.
The gas installer should also be trained to inform the consumer of the need for
regular maintenance and servicing.
Recognising danger
23 Every gas installer should know how to recognise, examine and test for
conditions associated with the gas system which might cause danger and take
appropriate remedial action, if necessary, on site and be aware, at all times, of the
paramount need to work safely. He should be trained to show consumers how
to use any equipment he has installed or modified and how in an emergency to
shut off the gas supply. He should also be aware of the importance of alerting
consumers to the dangers of inadequate ventilation and gas leaks, and to the need
for regular maintenance and servicing.
24 Training to meet this standard should develop and test the ability to use
gas testing equipment effectively, as well as the adequate knowledge and
understanding of the properties and effects of combustion of gases set out in para
16.
25 Every gas installer should be aware of the relevant current legal requirements,
codes of practice, standards and guidance documents.
26 Training should be such that the installer knows and is able to comply with
the relevant Regulations and other statutory requirements together with Codes of
Practice, British and other Standards and guidance documents which are relevant
to the installation, purging, commissioning, testing, servicing, maintenance, repair,
disconnection, modification and dismantling of the gas systems, fittings and
appliances with which he is working. A summary of current and relevant legislation
is listed in Appendix 2.
28 These re-assessments should be taken at five year intervals and should include
any changes in law, technology or safe working practice.
Appendix 1 : Sources of
information
Note: This Appendix does not form part of the code
1 Training courses in gas work are mounted by the gas industry itself and, for
mains gas, by colleges of further education and other training centres. The
Confederation for the Registration of Gas Installers (CORGI) has a national list
of colleges at which courses currently approved by them can be taken. Local
Education Authorities, individual colleges and Skillcentres can also give information
on courses available in their own area. Training arrangements usually include
evening classes or block or day-release. Certain mains gas courses are approved
by the Construction Industry Training Board including some examined to the
standards of the City and Guilds of London Institute. It is important that training
should be comprehensive enough to cover all the essential requirements.
2 Short refresher and up-dating courses are also widely available. CORGI and
the other organisations referred to above can give advice on where these may be
taken. These also cater for those who have considerable experience of gas work
but who have received no formal training.
3 Sample course contents are attached to illustrate appropriate training for general
and specific installation work.
Appendix 2 : Summary of
legislation
Note: This Appendix does not form part of the code
1 The Act imposes duties on everyone concerned with work activities, ranging
from employers, self-employed and employees, to manufacturers, designers,
suppliers and importers of materials for use at work, and people in control of
premises. This includes provisions to protect members of the public. A provision
in the Gas Act 1986 extended the scope of the Act to protect the public from
risks from the use of gas in the home. The duties are imposed both on individual
people and on corporations, companies, partnerships, local authorities, nationalised
industries etc. The duties are expressed in general terms, so that they apply to
all types of work activity and situations. Every employer has a duty to ensure so
far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his
employees. The principles of safety responsibility and safe working are expressed
in the Sections 2-9. Employers and the self-employed are required to carry out
their undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable,
that they do not expose people who are not their employees to risks to their health
and safety. (Sections 3(1) and 3(2)). In some areas the general duties have been
supplemented by specific requirements laid down in Regulations made under the
Act and Regulations containing specific requirements will continue to be made.
Specific legal requirements are also laid down in earlier health and safety legislation
which is still in force. Failure to comply with either the general requirements of the
Act, or the specific requirements found elsewhere may result in legal proceedings.
2 Although some of the duties imposed by the Act and related legislation are
absolute, many are qualified by the words ‘so far as is practicable’ or ‘so far as is
reasonably practicable’. If someone is prosecuted for failing to comply with a duty
which is qualified by these words, it is up to the accused to show the court that it
was not practicable or reasonably practicable, as appropriate, for him to do more
than he had done to comply with the duty.
3 Where the difficulty and cost are high and a careful assessment of the risk shows
it to be insignificant it may be that action is not necessary, although in some cases
there are things that have to be done at all costs. No allowance is made for the
size, nature or profitability of the business.
5 The Act provides for the privatisation of the British Gas Corporation and the
formation of British Gas plc. It replaces sections of the Gas Act 1972 (as amended
by the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act 1982) and makes provisions for public gas
suppliers and others to be authorised to supply gas through pipes.
6 S.48(1) contains relevant definitions including gas fitting, distribution main and
gas.
9 These have been largely revoked by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use)
Regulations 1984; the remaining Part II deals in detail with British Gas service
pipes, but not those installed by other suppliers of gas. Parts 1 and VII remain
and deal with the general interpretation of the Regulations and the removal,
disconnection, alteration, replacement and maintenance of gas fittings. The
Regulations are enforced by HSE.
10 These contain detailed provisions to control installation and use of gas
downstream of the service pipe, including a requirement that no person shall
carryout any work in relation to a gas fitting unless he is competent. They apply
to all premises supplied with gas as defined in the Gas Act through pipes, except
factories and mines. These Regulations are also enforced by HSE and, in certain
limited circumstances, by local authorities.
11 These Regulations give rights of entry and disconnection at premises supplied
with gas by British Gas to its authorised officers. At other premises the powers
have been given to HSE inspectors.
12 These Regulations are made under the Building Act 1984. Approved Document
‘J’ covers heat producing appliances, including gas appliances.
14 Certain gas incidents and dangerous gas fittings are now reportable by
suppliers of gas through a fixed pipe distribution system, and, in the case of
incidents only, by fillers, importers and certain suppliers of liquefied petroleum gas
cylinders.
Other Legislation: The Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act 1899, The Electricity
(Factories Act) Special Regulations 1908 and 1944, The Electricity Supply
Regulations 1937, The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1975, The
Electrical Equipment (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1976, The Water
Act 1945 and The Consumer Safety Act 1978
15 These Acts relate to various aspects of gas appliances and installation. The
Electricity (Factories Act) Special Regulations 1908 and 1944 relate to all electrical
work including that associated with gas installation in factories and other work
places considered to be factories for the purposes of the Factories Act 1961.
16 Although not statutory, the Institute of Electrical Engineers’ Wiring Regulations
(15th edition 1981) can be considered to be an appropriate code of good practice
against which installations may be judged. Regulations 525-10 and 11, 542-14 and
547-1, 2 and 3 are important in the context of safe procedures.
Appendix 3 : Suggested
course contents for a training
programme
Note: This Appendix does not form part of the code
Not all aspects of each element will need to be covered in equal depth.
Properties of gas
Combustion
Flames
Burners
Measurement of gas
Gas controls
Fault diagnosis
Safety devices
Glossary of terms
Regulations and codes of practice
The need for and operating principles of a flue and factors affecting its performance
Flue sizing
Pressure
Measurement of pressure
Gas pressure
Control of pressure
Testing for soundness
Purging procedures
Glossary of terms
Building construction
Building regulations
Gas services into buildings
Jointing of pipes
Internal installation
Gas installations in timber frame housing
Meters
Governors and filters
Testing and commissioning
Codes of practice
Basic electrical theory
Electrical hazards
Safe working practice
Use of multirange meters
Electrical control devices (switches and thermostats)
Electrical protection
Bonding and earthing
Relays and contactors
Solenoid valves
Pumps
Clock controllers and programmers
Transformers
Rectifiers
Capacitors
Circuits and diagrams
Electrical power supply circuits
Motorised valves
Ignition systems
Thermocouple
Fans
Comfort conditions
Heat transfer
Calculation of heat losses
Sizing the system
Heating categories
Circulating systems
Boilers
Heat emitters
Cylinders
Pumps
Feed and expansion cistern
Unvented hot water systems
Testing, commissioning and servicing
Fault diagnosis
Element 10 Domestic central heating dry systems and warm air heating
General principals
Warm air heaters
Duct systems
Distribution of warm air
Controls
Testing, commissioning and servicing
Fault diagnosis
Glossary of terms
Design and construction
Installing gas cookers
Testing, commissioning and servicing
Fault diagnosis
Glossary of terms
Appliance sizing
Types of gas space heaters
Radiant gas fires
Radiant convector fires
Convector heaters
Glossary of terms
Types of gas water heaters
Testing, commissioning and servicing
Instantaneous appliances
Storage appliances
External
Safety and relevant legislation
Vapour pressure and temperature relationship
Flow and combustion
Fire precautions and procedures
Bulk vessel and cylinder safety requirements
Bulk vessel safe siting
System design and pressure control
Pipework including metal and polyethylene
Pressure and leak testing
Commissioning and decommissioning
Internal
Safety and relevant legislation
Vapour pressure and temperature relationship
Flow and combustion and its control pipework
Appliances
Comparison with natural gas
Flues and ventilation
Fault diagnosis
Further information
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 priced and free publications can be viewed online or ordered from
www.hse.gov.uk or contact HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk
CO10 2WA Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995. HSE priced publications
are also available from bookshops.