Belfast City Council cracks down on gas safety in hundreds of take-aways

Belfast City Council is cracking down on gas safety in take-aways across the city.

The council has asked hundreds of hot food outlets to provide proof that their gas systems are properly maintained.

The authority has demanded that 400 business owners return gas maintenance records, including evidence that appropriate Gas Safe Registered installers carried out the work.

The records must be sent the council by October 1. The last similar check on take-aways was carried out in 2015.

The move, which coincides with Gas Safety Week, comes just weeks after an explosion in a newly opened restaurant in Ballyhackamore , East Belfast , in which one person was injured.

There was a major emergency response to the blast, which witnesses said "sounded like a car bomb" and which left the building with extensive damage.

Gas industry insiders said there was a spike in demand for their services as a result of the letters and warned that shoddy practice by poorly trained engineers meant many gas appliances are "accidents waiting to happen".

One senior engineer told Belfast Live he had had come across dozens of places during his working day where lives were at risk because of dangerously installed equipment.

He claimed: "I have been in restaurants where the gas cooker is literally like a bomb with the fuse lit.

"The standards of gas work and installations can be scary and dangerous.

"This is Gas Safety Week but have we heard much about it? The industry needs properly and expertly policed or lives will be lost.

"We should not have to wait until there is an accident and somebody else is killed before action is taken".

Another engineer said he had closed several kitchens after being asked to service or approve "terrifying gas cookers".

He said: "I have seen catering vans where the cooker hood was attached to a solid wall so there was no ventilation.

"This is like starting a car in a garage with doors and windows shut and these don’t have a catalytic convertor, it will kill.

"People are buying second hand gas appliances online, which are sometime like bombs."

He said tenants in rental properties needed to make sure the systems in their homes are properly maintained.

He added: "There are issues all the time and there must be tighter regulation and much better public awareness about what can happen."

The engineer claimed one of the recent safety issues to arise was in Craigavon, Co Armagh , where he said there was concern about potentially dangerous installations.

Responding to this, a HSENI spokesperson said: "HSENI are making enquiries regarding concerns in a small number of properties, and are following up to ensure appropriate action is taken where required.

"We cannot add anything further at this time".

A Belfast City Council spokeswoman said: “We have recently written to approximately 400 food business operators in the city to advise them of their duties under The Health & Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978 and The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (NI) 2004, to maintain their gas equipment in a safe condition and to send us a gas maintenance record to confirm that the gas system they use has been properly maintained and an appropriate Gas Safe Registered installer has carried out all work on the system.

“We undertake this activity on a regular basis and this phase focuses on hot food/takeaway type business operators but we intend to write to all food businesses as we continue to roll out the programme.”

Meanwhile, Gas Safe has sought to reassure engineers about their concerns.

A spokeswoman said: "Gas Safe Register conducts public awareness campaigns throughout the year to make people aware of the risks of unsafe and illegal gas work, and of other dangers such as carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

"It is the co-ordinating body for the annual industry-wide Gas Safety Week campaign.

"We share our tailored press releases (using findings from those polled in Northern Ireland) with local media in Northern Ireland as well as regions across Scotland, England and Wales.

Registered engineers in Northern Ireland have access to the same resources as those in Scotland, England and Wales.

Any person, business or organisation looking to have work carried out on gas appliances should seek the help of a Gas Safe registered engineer as it’s a legal requirement that only qualified registered gas engineers can work on gas appliances.

Gas Safe Register is happy to investigate any gas safety complaints you may have about work carried out by a registered engineer, be it at your property or another address.

"If you’re aware that someone is carrying out gas work outside of registration, you can report the matter to us and we will look to investigate".

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