Gas Safety and the leisure industry

The summer holidays are just around the corner… There will be some who will choose to fly to an exotic destination, whether short or long haul. Others will prefer to stay closer to home.

Irrespective of the type of summer holiday you have booked, there will certainly be a sharp increase in people using touring caravans, motor-homes, canal boats and residential park homes in July and August.

Now the last thing we want to do is worry you but when was the last time you did a safety check on your caravan or boat’s gas appliances?

Modern caravans, motor-homes, lodges and narrow boats are all built to the highest modern standards. As such, they are fitted out with domestic gas appliances.

These appliances need to be installed in accordance with current gas safety requirements in order to comply with the law and ensure minimal risk to you and your loved ones. And in the same way that we would recommend annual checks on gas appliances in your home, it is imperative that your leisure equipment is serviced on a regular basis.

It is very likely that the gas equipment and appliances on your caravan or boat will have been sitting dormant during the colder months. Are you 100% confident that they will still be safe and efficient to use? Before you go on that much-anticipated family holiday, you need to get your appliances serviced.

What kind of leisure vehicles and homes are we talking about?

Leisure vehicles and homes that are likely to have natural gas or LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) applications or appliances include:

• Motor-homes
• Static caravans
• Park homes
• Holiday lodges
• Camper vans
• Catering trailers
• Narrow boats
• Canal cruisers

CO

What about a carbon monoxide detector? Have you checked the batteries? Do you even have one? You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but carbon monoxide poisoning or asphyxiation can kill quickly and without warning. Gas appliances and flues that have not been properly installed or maintained, or may be poorly ventilated, can leak dangerous levels of CO, which can lead to poor health, paralysis, brain damage or even death.

Do you hire out your caravan, park home or boat?

Were you aware that any leisure vehicle or home that is hired out must have an up-to-date gas safety certificate? Once all gas pipe work and appliances are found to be in safe working order, you will be issued with a certificate that is valid for the next twelve months.

Want to get into the leisure industry?

If you are considering working with gas within the leisure industry, we can help.

Gas Training and Assessment’s CCLPI (RPH, LAV, B,) course covers the competencies required to work with Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The course provides a full understanding of how to work safely installing and maintaining leisure accommodation vehicles (LAV), including caravans, residential park homes (RPH) and boats (B).

With small class sizes, our assessment pass rates are exemplary.

We hope you found this article ‘Gas safety and the leisure industry’ useful. Please call Gas Training & Assessment on 01268 727797 today if you have any queries about any technical aspect of your qualifications.