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{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

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Gas Safety and Compliance Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline how {{org_field_name}} ensures full compliance with gas safety regulations in a home care environment, ensuring the health, safety, and welfare of the people we support, staff, and visitors. This policy supports our legal duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It is also aligned with CQC Regulation 15 (Premises and Equipment) and Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment), which require that care is provided in a safe, well-maintained environment with secure and properly functioning systems, including gas installations and appliances.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all premises operated by {{org_field_name}} where gas appliances, fittings, or installations are present. It includes residential care settings, supported living environments, and any accommodation provided as part of care and support. The policy also applies to staff who are responsible for reporting, monitoring, or maintaining gas-related systems and to contractors working on behalf of {{org_field_name}}. It ensures a clear framework for risk assessment, maintenance, emergency action, and staff responsibilities related to gas safety.

3. Related Policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following:

• CH11 – Safe Care and Treatment Policy
• CH15 – Premises and Equipment Policy
• CH17 – Infection Prevention and Control Policy
• CH18 – Risk Management and Assessment Policy
• CH19 – Emergency and Business Continuity Plan
• CH25 – Notification of Other Incidents Policy
• CH16 – Health and Safety at Work Policy

4. Legal and Regulatory Framework

{{org_field_name}} will comply with all legislation and regulatory requirements applicable to gas safety within the care home, including:

• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), where an incident meets the statutory reporting criteria
• Health and Social Care Act 2008
• Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, in particular:
  • Regulation 12 – Safe care and treatment
  • Regulation 15 – Premises and equipment
  • Regulation 17 – Good governance
• Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, including applicable statutory notification requirements.

{{org_field_name}} will ensure that gas installations, installation pipework, appliances, fittings and flues for which it is responsible are maintained in a safe condition and that gas work is carried out only by persons who are competent and, where required, Gas Safe registered and appropriately qualified for the particular type of gas, appliance and work being undertaken.

Gas appliances and flues that are subject to the landlord gas-safety duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 will receive the required gas safety checks within the statutory timescales.

Where the statutory landlord gas-safety record requirements apply, records will contain all information required by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and will be retained until two further gas safety checks of the relevant appliance or flue have been completed. Where an appliance or flue is removed from the premises, the record of its last gas safety check will be retained for at least two years from the date of that check. Nothing in this section prevents {{org_field_name}} from retaining gas-safety documentation for a longer period in accordance with its records management arrangements.

5. Gas Safety Inspections and Certification

{{org_field_name}} will ensure that each gas appliance, fitting, installation and flue for which it is responsible is subject to appropriate inspection, maintenance and safety checks so that it remains safe for use.

Where the landlord duties in Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 apply, each relevant gas appliance and flue will receive a gas safety check within 12 months of installation and thereafter within the statutory interval, subject to any lawful flexibility permitted by the Regulations.

Gas safety checks will be carried out only by a Gas Safe registered engineer who holds the current registration and appropriate competence for:

• the type of gas being used;
• the category of appliance or installation concerned; and
• the particular gas work being undertaken.

Before work is commissioned, {{org_field_name}} will verify the engineer’s current Gas Safe registration and relevant qualifications.

Following a statutory gas safety check, a gas safety check record will be obtained. The organisation does not rely solely on the description “CP12”; the record must contain the information required by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, including:

• the date of the check;
• the address of the premises;
• a description and location of each appliance or flue checked;
• any safety-related defect identified;
• any remedial action taken;
• confirmation that the required safety examinations were completed;
• the engineer’s name;
• the engineer’s Gas Safe registration details; and
• the engineer’s signature or other legally acceptable authentication.

Where the statutory requirements concerning provision of gas safety records to occupiers apply, {{org_field_name}} will ensure that the record is provided or displayed within the timescale and in the manner required by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

A copy of the current gas safety record will be held securely within the home’s compliance records and, where electronic records are used, will be capable of being reproduced in an accessible form.

The Registered Manager, or a person formally delegated by the Registered Manager, will monitor renewal dates and ensure that checks are arranged before the applicable statutory deadline.

Where a safety-related defect is identified, the appliance or installation will not be used where the Gas Safe registered engineer has identified it as unsafe or where there is otherwise reason to suspect that continued use would place people at risk. Required remedial work will be arranged without avoidable delay and completed by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.

6. Installation, Maintenance and Repairs

All gas work involving the installation, alteration, servicing, maintenance, disconnection or repair of gas appliances, fittings or installation pipework will be undertaken only by a person who is competent to undertake that work and, where required by law, is Gas Safe registered.

{{org_field_name}} will verify before work starts that the individual engineer is Gas Safe registered and holds the relevant current qualification for the type of gas, appliance and work concerned. Evidence of the contractor’s registration, relevant competence and appropriate insurance will be retained as part of the contractor assurance records.

Gas appliances, fittings, installation pipework and flues will be maintained in a safe condition. Maintenance arrangements will take account of:

• applicable statutory requirements;
• manufacturers’ instructions;
• the age and condition of the equipment;
• findings from previous inspections, services and gas safety checks;
• reported faults or unusual operation; and
• the findings of the home’s environmental and gas-safety risk assessments.

No member of staff, maintenance employee, manager or contractor who is not appropriately Gas Safe registered and qualified will undertake gas work or technically certify, commission or verify gas work where Gas Safe registration is required.

Following installation, servicing or repair, the Gas Safe registered engineer undertaking the work will complete the appropriate safety checks, commissioning procedures and documentation applicable to the work.

The maintenance lead, premises manager or Registered Manager may check that required documentation has been received, that identified actions have been completed and that the appliance has been formally returned to service by the competent engineer. This administrative check does not replace technical gas-safety verification by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.

Any appliance or installation identified as unsafe will be taken out of use in accordance with the instructions of the Gas Safe registered engineer and will not be returned to use until the defect has been satisfactorily remedied and the equipment has been confirmed as safe.

All installation, maintenance, servicing, repair and remedial work will be recorded and monitored. Repeated faults or trends will be considered as part of the home’s risk-management and governance arrangements.

7. Risk Assessment and Preventative Measures

Gas safety risk assessments are carried out at least annually or whenever a new appliance is introduced, a service is altered, or when advised by competent professionals. Assessments identify potential hazards such as gas leaks, carbon monoxide risks, improper ventilation, or user misuse. Preventative measures include:

• Annual gas safety servicing
• Carbon monoxide detectors installed and regularly tested
• Gas appliances securely installed and operated per manufacturer’s guidance
• Emergency shut-off procedures clearly displayed
• Education and supervision of people we support (where appropriate)

8. Carbon Monoxide Monitoring and Safety Devices

{{org_field_name}} recognises carbon monoxide as a potentially fatal hazard arising from incomplete combustion and/or inadequate removal of combustion products.

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 contain an exclusion for care homes. This policy therefore does not state that those Regulations impose a blanket requirement to install a carbon monoxide alarm in every room or area of the care home containing a gas appliance.

Carbon monoxide alarms or other suitable carbon monoxide detection arrangements will nevertheless be provided where required by:

• the findings of a gas-safety or environmental risk assessment;
• the instructions or recommendations of a competent Gas Safe registered engineer;
• manufacturers’ installation or operating instructions;
• applicable fire-safety arrangements;
• another applicable statutory requirement; or
• other nationally recognised safety guidance applicable to the premises or appliance.

Where carbon monoxide alarms are provided, they will be:

• suitable for their intended purpose;
• appropriately located;
• maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions;
• tested at the frequency specified by the manufacturer and the home’s risk-based testing arrangements; and
• replaced before or upon expiry of the manufacturer’s stated working life.

Testing, defects, battery replacement where applicable, maintenance and replacement will be recorded.

Staff will receive sufficient information and instruction to recognise the possible signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure, which may include headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, confusion, breathlessness, collapse or loss of consciousness.

Where a carbon monoxide alarm activates, carbon monoxide exposure is suspected, or a person develops symptoms that may indicate carbon monoxide poisoning, staff will immediately take action to protect people from further exposure, obtain appropriate emergency medical assistance where required and follow the gas emergency procedure in Section 9.

The affected gas appliance or installation will not be returned to use until it has been examined by an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer and confirmed as safe.

9. Emergency Procedures and Reporting

Any suspected gas escape, carbon monoxide incident, unsafe gas appliance or other gas-related emergency will be treated as an immediate safety matter.

Where a gas leak is suspected, staff will, so far as it is safe and practicable to do so:

1. Protect people from immediate danger and move people away from the affected area. Where there is uncertainty about the extent of the risk, the affected area or building will be evacuated in accordance with the home’s emergency arrangements.
2. Extinguish naked flames where this can be done safely.
3. Not smoke, light matches or create any other source of ignition.
4. Not operate electrical switches, plugs, doorbells or other electrical equipment within the affected area where doing so could create a source of ignition.
5. Open doors and windows to ventilate the area where this can be done safely and without delaying evacuation.
6. Turn off the gas supply at the emergency control valve where staff know its location, have been instructed in its use and it is safe to do so.
7. For a suspected natural gas escape, contact the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999.
8. For an incident involving liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), contact the relevant LPG supplier’s emergency service.
9. Call 999 where there is a fire, explosion, serious illness, injury, loss of consciousness or another immediate threat to life.
10. Notify the Registered Manager or senior person in charge as soon as practicable.
11. Ensure that the affected gas appliance or supply is not returned to use until the fault has been investigated and dealt with by an appropriately competent person and, where gas work is required, an appropriately qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
12. Complete the organisation’s incident reporting and investigation process.

Following a carbon monoxide alarm or suspected carbon monoxide exposure, affected people will be moved away from the suspected source and appropriate emergency medical advice or assistance will be obtained. Staff will not rely on the alarm ceasing as evidence that the premises or appliance is safe.

The Registered Manager will ensure that each gas-related incident is reviewed to establish whether any external statutory notification or report is required.

This will include consideration of:

• notification to the Care Quality Commission where the incident meets the criteria for notification under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009;
• reporting under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), where the statutory reporting criteria are met;
• notification to the Health and Safety Executive or other enforcing authority where required;
• notification to the gas transporter, supplier, LPG supplier, emergency service or other relevant authority where applicable; and
• safeguarding referral where the circumstances indicate actual or suspected abuse, neglect, deliberate interference or another safeguarding concern.

A gas leak, alarm activation or fault must not automatically be described as a CQC-notifiable or RIDDOR-reportable incident. The Registered Manager will determine, with competent advice where required, whether the relevant statutory reporting threshold has been met.

All gas-related incidents, actions, notifications, investigation findings and remedial actions will be documented and monitored to completion in accordance with CH25 – Notification of Other Incidents Policy and the organisation’s incident-management arrangements.

10. Staff Training and Responsibilities

All staff receive gas safety awareness training as part of their induction, including how to identify warning signs, how to report faults, and what to do in an emergency. Maintenance staff and managers responsible for premises receive additional instruction on compliance and certification processes. Refresher training is conducted annually and following any incident or regulatory change. The Registered Manager is responsible for overall compliance and audit, while the Health and Safety Lead oversees implementation and staff competency.

11. Record Keeping and Audit

{{org_field_name}} will maintain accurate, complete, current and secure records sufficient to demonstrate effective management of gas safety and compliance with applicable statutory and CQC requirements.

Gas-safety records will include, where applicable:

• statutory gas safety check records;
• gas appliance, flue and installation details;
• servicing and preventative maintenance records;
• installation and commissioning documentation;
• records of repairs and remedial work;
• records of appliances or installations taken out of service;
• evidence of contractors’ Gas Safe registration;
• evidence that the individual engineer holds the appropriate qualification for the type of gas and work undertaken;
• gas-safety and environmental risk assessments;
• carbon monoxide alarm or detection-system testing and maintenance records;
• staff information, instruction and training records;
• reported faults and action taken;
• gas-related incident reports and investigations;
• records of any statutory notifications or reports, including CQC or RIDDOR reports where applicable; and
• evidence that actions arising from inspections, audits, risk assessments and incidents have been completed.

Where the statutory landlord gas-safety record provisions in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 apply, the relevant gas safety check record will be retained until two further gas safety checks of the appliance or flue have been completed. Where an appliance or flue is removed from the premises, the record relating to its last gas safety check will be retained for at least two years from the date of that check.

Where {{org_field_name}}’s records-retention schedule requires a longer retention period, the longer period will apply.

Electronic gas-safety records must be stored securely, protected from unauthorised alteration or deletion and capable of being reproduced in an accessible form when required.

Records will be made available to the Care Quality Commission, Health and Safety Executive or another lawfully authorised body where the organisation is legally required to provide them.

The premises manager, maintenance lead or other designated competent person will monitor gas-safety compliance at a frequency determined by the home’s governance arrangements. This monitoring will include, as a minimum:

• checking that statutory inspection and safety-check dates have not expired;
• checking that engineers undertaking gas work remain appropriately Gas Safe registered and qualified;
• monitoring outstanding defects and remedial actions;
• confirming that unsafe equipment remains isolated until formally returned to service;
• reviewing gas-related incidents and recurring faults;
• checking carbon monoxide detection arrangements where provided; and
• escalating overdue, incomplete or unsafe matters immediately to the Registered Manager.

The Registered Manager will maintain oversight of gas-safety compliance through the home’s governance arrangements in accordance with Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Any shortfall presenting an immediate or significant risk to people will be acted upon without delay. Other identified actions will have a named responsible person and completion date and will be followed through to completion.

Audit findings, incidents, recurring defects and corrective actions will be used to assess, monitor and improve the safety of the service and will contribute to the home’s continuous quality-improvement arrangements.

12. Safeguarding and People We Support

Where people we support have cognitive impairments or physical disabilities, risk assessments are adjusted to ensure additional safeguards are in place, such as locking gas appliance controls or using timers. We ensure that individuals are not left alone with gas appliances unless deemed safe. Any concerns around neglect, harm, or misuse related to gas appliances are treated as safeguarding concerns and escalated immediately in line with CH13 – Safeguarding Adults from Abuse and Improper Treatment Policy.

13. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or earlier in response to changes in legislation, guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), or in response to an incident or audit outcome.

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Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.