Humour Gas safe reply

[piggythompson]

Hello to the forum, I just thought I would share this response from GAs-safe.. I had occasion to suspect that an install was dangerous by a non qualified engineer in a commercial kitchen where people are working so I alerted gas safe to the fact , I guess that was a mistake but the reply is pretty useless:
They can not get into their office so can not write.
They can not inspect due to covid
They will if refused permission inspect the outside of the property ( a front facade and a door)

Thank you for your recent communication regarding gas work carried out at the above-mentioned property. We are sorry to hear of the problems you have experienced.
In order to investigate this matter further, we intend to write to the site address offering a free inspection of the property. Unfortunately, due to current government guidelines we do not have access to our office and are unable to post this letter to your neighbour We are also not in a position to carry out any inspections due to the social distancing rules. As soon as our normal service is resumed, we will contact them.
Should they not reply or refuse a visit, Gas Safe Register will contact you to arrange an on-site visual inspection of the work outside the property. We must advise you that this type of investigation will be very limited and any action that we may be able to take will as a result be very restricted. Our Inspector will produce a report of his findings for the owner of the property in question, subject to access, but we will be unable to provide you with this. You will, however, receive a letter confirming our attendance in this matter.
We would also recommend that you contact your local Environmental Health Office, who may be able to assist further, if you have not already done so. If you have any immediate concerns of a gas safety nature (I.e a gas leak), please contact the emergency gas services on 0800 111 999.



I trust you find the above to be in order and ask that you quote the above reference number in any further communication.



A factsheet has been attached for your information.

 

[Ric2013]

What a rambling and confused reply!

You missed they will contact your neighbour by post and contact you by phone to arrange an inspection of a property that is probably neither your neighbour's nor yours. They probably will ring ring you when they feel like a chat.

Did you ring the emergency number and tell them you could see yellow flames and could smell gas?

 

[piggythompson]

What a rambling and confused reply!

You missed they will contact your neighbour by post and contact you by phone to arrange an inspection of a property that is probably neither your neighbour's nor yours. They probably will ring ring you when they feel like a chat.

Did you ring the emergency number and tell them you could see yellow flames and could smell gas?

I just messaged them thanking them for their reply and apologising for troubling them on what I thought was part of their job,
The serious side is that it is the staff working in the kitchen who are at risk and probably less likely to raise an issue with the owner but I guess it will be ok, I guess carbon monoxide will wait for the covid situation to improve.

 

[hometech]

Capital plc have no statutory powers so its akin to calling the local butchers to report a building fire. Building control have the statutory function at domestic level and HSE at commercial/business premises level. The gas infrastructure people centrica would be called in the event of gas escaping

 

[snowhead]

What reasons do you have to think the installation may be unsafe?
What type of premises?
Are the staff aware, is the Business manager / Building owner aware?

Local Authorities have powers of entry, unlike Gassafe, but would need good reason to do so.

In the big scheme of things Gassafe is probably the last in the chain.

 

[Ric2013]

They have suggested contacting Environmental Health. Probably a good idea.

 

[piggythompson]

What reasons do you have to think the installation may be unsafe?
What type of premises?
Are the staff aware, is the Business manager / Building owner aware?

Local Authorities have powers of entry, unlike Gassafe, but would need good reason to do so.

In the big scheme of things Gassafe is probably the last in the chain.

My understanding is that a commercial kitchen with class B gas appliance they do not need an external flue but can use the extractor system as long as there is an interlock between extractor and gas supply so that a fault in the extractor system prevents the gas appliances from working . Given the restaurant continues to run without the extraction system working ( Indian takeaway) I am only supposing that the install was done by someone who does not know the regulations and therefore my suggestion to gas safe that they may like to investigate. Gas safe are as above too busy and not doing inspections, HSE say contact environmental health because it is commercial kitchen, Environmental health say they looked at the kitchen before it was opened( not since) so I have given up

 

[exedon2]

I would not be too quick to blame the installers. We have worked on a fair number of Indian restaurants we found out totally by accident that its common practice for the owners to get the sparks to wire a bypass of the fan controls!
I sorted this out with chain we work for but how many more out there anybodies guess.

 

[piggythompson]

I would not be too quick to blame the installers. We have worked on a fair number of Indian restaurants we found out totally by accident that its common practice for the owners to get the sparks to wire a bypass of the fan controls!
I sorted this out with chain we work for but how many more out there anybodies guess.

My approach to everyone is that there looks to be something wrong here and at the end of the day the only people it may be affecting is of course the staff who are probably too intimidated to say anything . Since none of the authorities, HSe, environmental heath, gas safe are interested then all I can do is remain happy that I have raised the matter and leave it to them to investigate , IF something goes wrong I will however be at the front of the queue pointing out that they were advised.