People in factories often think they are exempt from the ‘Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998’ (GSIUR) but they are wrong; the paragraph below is a direct extract from the regulations and is key to helping people understand their need for compliance with the regulations.
Regulation 3 of the GSIUR states:
“Gas work for those working at premises that fall outside the scope of the Regulations should only be undertaken by a person who has successfully completed an appropriate full training course followed by an assessment of competence”.
Launched in March 2017 I-GAS has been created by gas experts to fill this industrial training and assessment gap. It was created in collaboration with industrial gas training providers/centres, manufacturers of combustion equipment, and a broad spectrum of employers across industry to make sure it was fit for purpose.
This is the only formal training and accreditation scheme currently available which is specifically designed for maintenance staff and technicians working with gas in industrial premises.
Since the launch of I-GAS many candidates have started their progression through the scheme or have completed their I-GAS qualification to their desired level, these include many industrial sectors:
• Paper Mills
• Car Manufacturers
• Food Processing/manufacturing
• Water companies
• Packaging
• Boiler Manufacturers
• Burner Manufacturers
• Potteries
It should be highlighted that I-GAS covers all aspects of industrial gas equipment in industry.
For further information on the I-GAS courses please visit the CEA website. www.cea.org.uk
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FAQs
Q. If I am working in a factory am I exempt from GSIUR compliance?
A: No. You must attend a training and assessment course that helps to prove your competence.
Q. If I’m working in a Hospital am I exempt?
A: No; but if the site has an energy centre that’s remote and away from the residential aspects of the hospital you are not required to have GasSafe registration; if it’s in the residential part of a hospital where people sleep, or any other building of this type you must by law have Gas Safe Registration. However, you must decide if Gas Safe training is enough for the work you are carrying out. If not, I-GAS will fill the gap.
Q. I’ve been working on gas for years; why do I need I-GAS?
A: In today’s world of work a key word that is used constantly is Competence, in law competence is defined as Education, Training and Experience. Therefore, ask yourself the question, how could I prove I’m competent working on gas equipment if there was an accident/ incident and HSE were on site?
Q. I’m a contractor and have worked on all sorts of sites and equipment why do I need I-GAS?
A: That choice is yours, but more and more companies are now asking for proof of competence along with Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) for anybody working on their site when calling in contractors to do gas or other work; they are responsible for you as well as their own employees’ safety.
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