SmartGas help promote Gas Safety Week 2020

This year, Gas Safety Week celebrated its 10th anniversary and ensuring good gas safety practices are followed is as important today as it was a decade ago. 

Whether you have access to gas at your workplace or home, the risks of not being safe through faulty connections, bad fittings or general mal-practice can be catastrophic. 

If you’re having gas work done, big or small, you need to make sure you're using a Gas Safe registered engineer and business. You can check their credentials easily and simply by asking them to show you their Gas Safe Register card. 

Gas Safe Register is the only official gas registration body of gas businesses and engineers in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Guernsey. By law all gas businesses must be on the Gas Safe Register.

It is recommended that you have all of your gas appliances checked annually, regardless of how often they are used. In general, people are good at getting their boiler serviced but forget about fires, ovens and other appliances. 

This can be very dangerous. Any gas appliance can produce carbon monoxide, which is a highly poisonous gas, created by unburned gas leaking from a badly fitted connection. Leakages also lead to fires and explosions. 

There are some telltale signs that you should keep an eye out for and, if you see any of them, call a registered gas engineer immediately:

• Your appliance isn’t working properly
• It produces a floppy yellow flame rather than a crisp blue one
• Black/brown marks on or around the appliance
• The boiler pilot light keeps going out
• Increased condensation inside the windows

Exactly what is involved in a gas safety check can vary depending on the appliance that is being checked but your engineer should always check the manual to consult with the manufacturer’s advice. This could include an analysis of the combustion exhaust gases to ensure the appliance is burning gas safely or a check of the appliance’s condition including signs of heat or distress, effectiveness of seals and gaskets, and cleanliness of heat exchangers.

SmartGas director, David Atkinson said: “We take our role very seriously and the importance of doing things by the book when it comes to gas maintenance and installation cannot be understated. 

“We work closely with all our customers to educate them on the importance of following gas safety procedures and practices going forward.

“As everyone knows, gas can cause a range of problems, from explosions to poisoning through inhalation, so if anyone suspects an issue with their gas system it’s better to play it safe and get it inspected.

“Gas Safety Week is a really important initiative that helps raise awareness around the risks of poor gas safety and we’re delighted to be part of it. 

“All week we’ve been using our social media channels to help give it a push as well as educate local people about just how important it is. 

“We’re only playing our own very small role in a much wider campaign, but if we can encourage people to take a closer interest and explain some of the key details that they need to be looking for it could make a big difference overall. Who knows? It might even save someone’s life!”

SmartGas is a fully qualified Gas Safe business. For those who want to find out more about Gas Safety week visit: www.gassaferegister.co.uk