Key points
- Regulation 35 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires employers to keep gas appliances, flues, pipework and safety devices maintained in a safe condition.
- Only a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the right commercial catering categories, may carry out gas work in a commercial kitchen.
- No law sets a fixed inspection interval for non-residential kitchens. Annual inspection is the industry norm and what insurers usually expect.
- BS 6173 sets the installation standard for catering appliances, including interlocks between gas and ventilation. It is good practice and is not retrospective.
- If anyone lives on the premises, landlord duties may add a legal annual gas safety check.
What the law requires
The main instrument is the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It sits alongside the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, which requires employers to protect staff and the public so far as is reasonably practicable.
For a restaurant, café or contract catering kitchen, three parts of the regulations matter most:
- Competence (regulation 3). Anyone carrying out gas work must be competent, and businesses doing gas work must be members of the Gas Safe Register.
- Maintenance (regulation 35). An employer must ensure gas appliances, installation pipework and flues at a place of work under their control are maintained in a safe condition.
- Landlord duties (regulation 36). These apply where gas appliances serve residential accommodation, such as a flat above the shop or staff rooms. They require a check every 12 months and a record given to the occupier.
Other duties apply too. New catering appliances must meet product safety rules, and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers the fire risk from cooking and extract.
Law versus best practice
This is where many operators get confused. The table separates what is a legal requirement from what is an industry expectation.
| Item | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Keep appliances, pipework and flues safely maintained | Legal duty | GSIUR 1998, reg 35 |
| Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas work | Legal duty | GSIUR 1998, reg 3 |
| Annual gas safety check for residential accommodation you let | Legal duty | GSIUR 1998, reg 36 |
| Annual inspection of a non-residential kitchen | Industry norm; HSE describes annual as a reasonable minimum | HSE catering guidance; insurers; leases |
| Catering gas safety record (CP42) | Best practice way to evidence the reg 35 duty | Industry forms |
| Ventilation interlock on new installations | Expected by the installation standard | BS 6173; IGEM/UP/19 |
| Servicing to manufacturer's instructions | Expected; supports the reg 35 duty | Manufacturer's documentation |
Even where the law is not prescriptive, your insurance policy or lease may require an annual gas safety record. Missing one can affect a claim. Read the conditions in both documents.
Choosing a Gas Safe engineer
Gas Safe registration is not one blanket qualification. Each engineer's ID card lists the types of work they are competent to do. Commercial catering is its own area, separate from domestic boilers and commercial heating. An engineer who services your home boiler may not be qualified to work on a combination oven, a chargrill or a kitchen pipework system.
Before a visit:
- Ask for the engineer's Gas Safe ID card number.
- Check it on the Gas Safe Register website, including the commercial catering categories.
- Keep a copy of the check with the job record.
HSE guidance warns that out-of-date certificates are sometimes presented, so checking is worth the minute it takes.
The catering gas safety record (CP42)
A commercial catering gas safety record is often called a CP42, after the reference of a widely used industry form. The name is not in law. What matters is that a competent engineer has inspected the installation and recorded the results.
A typical record covers:
- Each appliance: make, model, location, and whether it is safe to use.
- Flame supervision devices and other appliance safety controls.
- Gas tightness of the installation pipework.
- Ventilation, extract and the interlock, if fitted.
- Emergency isolation valves and their labelling.
- Any defects, classified under the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure.
Defect classifications
Engineers use two main classifications. Immediately Dangerous means the appliance or installation is a present danger and will be disconnected with your agreement. At Risk means one or more faults could become a danger; the engineer will usually turn it off. HSE advises not to use an installation in either category until it is put right.
A record with defects is only half the job. Log each defect as a remedial job, get it fixed, and file the completion note with the original record.
BS 6173, interlocks and ventilation
BS 6173 is the British Standard for installing gas-fired catering appliances in commercial premises. It covers appliance siting, connections, ventilation and safety controls. It is good practice, not law, and it is not retrospective. An older kitchen does not have to be rebuilt to the current edition, but its safety will still be judged against current procedures.
Ventilation interlocks
Cooking with gas needs a good supply of air and effective extraction. If the extract fails, carbon monoxide and combustion products can build up quickly. An interlock links the gas supply to the ventilation. If the fan stops or airflow fails, a solenoid valve shuts the gas off. HSE guidance is clear that manual bypasses to interlocks are not acceptable.
Where an existing kitchen has no interlock, the engineer will assess the risk. Factors include the size of the room, the reliability of the extract and how well it is maintained. Design guidance for interlocks in catering is set out in IGEM/UP/19.
Gas proving
Many interlock systems include gas proving. Before gas is restored after a shutdown, the system checks the downstream pipework holds pressure. This guards against a tap left open on an appliance when the supply comes back on. Gas proving is a feature of the control system, separate from the tightness test an engineer does during an inspection.
Carbon monoxide detection
Where CO detection is fitted in a commercial kitchen, HSE guidance says it should be commercial grade, give an audible alarm and be linked to an automatic gas shut-off that needs manual reset. Detectors are a backstop, not a substitute for ventilation and maintenance.
Daily and weekly checks by staff
Engineers visit once or twice a year. Staff use the kitchen every day. Simple checks catch most problems early:
- Confirm the extract is running before lighting appliances.
- Look for yellow or lazy flames, soot or scorching around appliances.
- Know where the emergency gas isolation valve is and keep access clear.
- Check flexible hoses and bayonet connectors for damage, and use restraint chains where fitted.
- Report any smell of gas at once, isolate the supply and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
Competent staff can usually disconnect and reconnect plug-in appliances for cleaning. Installing or commissioning those connections, and all other gas work, is for a Gas Safe engineer.
Managing gas safety across several sites
For operators with more than one kitchen, the risk is drift. Inspection dates slip, records sit in different inboxes, and defects from one visit are still open at the next. Set one renewal date per site, keep the record and remedial jobs together, and check engineer registration as part of contractor onboarding. The wider picture is in our commercial kitchen compliance checklist, and extract hygiene is covered in our TR19 guide.
In Fabric FM, each site's gas record sits against the kitchen's assets, with the next due date and any open defects alongside. Contractor registration details are kept with the contractor, so checks are easy to evidence. It is in early access; see our contractor management software page.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current regulations and guidance, or speak to a competent person, for your premises.
