Acting on an unsafe situation: warn, label and report

Before the actions

With the gas user's or responsible person's agreement, make every effort to put the fault right during the visit, and explain what you found and why it matters. The steps below apply when you cannot make it safe to use.

The procedure covers every unsafe appliance you come across, not only the one you were booked to work on: anyone doing gas work who suspects any appliance is dangerous must tell the responsible person. You need not test appliances you are not working on, but check what you can see: the location, flueing, ventilation, signs of distress and whether it is stable and secure. If you find or suspect an unsafe situation, classify it and take the actions for that category.

If anyone may have been exposed to carbon monoxide, look after them first. Get them into fresh air, advise them to get medical attention straight away and make the installation safe. Call 999 if they have suddenly become confused, are finding it hard to breathe, feel weak, have chest or muscle pain or have lost consciousness. Tests and paperwork can wait.

Immediately Dangerous (ID)

1. Explain that it is Immediately Dangerous, why, and that it must not be used. Using it again would break the law.
2. With permission, disconnect the appliance or installation and seal the supply with an appropriate fitting.
3. If permission is refused, try to turn it off. Then call the Gas Emergency Contact Centre for natural gas (0800 111 999 in England, Scotland and Wales), or the gas supplier for LPG, and record the job reference and the time of the call. Stay nearby where you reasonably can: the emergency service will attend within an hour.
4. If nobody is present, disconnecting and sealing is recommended.
5. Attach a DANGER DO NOT USE label in a prominent position. If the appliance is concealed, add a second label where it will be seen, such as on the compartment door.
6. Complete a warning notice that stresses DANGER DO NOT USE and states the fault, the action taken and the remedial work needed. Ask the gas user or responsible person to sign it, give them a copy and keep one. If nobody is present, leave a copy on site.

At Risk (AR): turning off removes the risk

1. Explain that it is At Risk, why, that it could become dangerous at any time, and that it must not be used until it is put right.
2. With permission, turn off the gas in this order: the appliance isolation valve; if that is not possible, remove the electrical fuse; if that is not possible either, turn off the appliance control and fix the label to it. Turning down a room thermostat or setting the timer to off is not acceptable.
3. Attach a DANGER DO NOT USE label and complete a signed warning notice, as for ID.

At Risk: turning off will not reduce the risk

Examples include a building constructed over a polyethylene gas service pipe, an incorrectly sited LPG bulk tank and an unventilated meter room serving several flats.

1. Explain why it is At Risk and why turning off will not help.
2. Do not attach a DANGER DO NOT USE label.
3. Complete a warning notice stating who to contact for further investigation, ask for a signature, and give and keep copies.

Records and reporting

• Record any refusal to disconnect, turn off or sign. A refusal does not remove the danger.
• If the gas user is not the owner, for example a tenant, give the owner or managing agent the details in writing.
• Under RIDDOR, report to HSE within 14 days any gas fitting, including flues and ventilation, that is dangerous enough to cause or be likely to cause death, unconsciousness or hospital treatment because of its design, installation, modification or servicing. This applies even if you repaired it on the spot.
• A fitting that is dangerous only through lack of maintenance is not RIDDOR-reportable; you can raise it with HSE as a concern. Other unsafe poor workmanship can be reported to Gas Safe Register.
• Keeping your records for at least six years is advisable.
• If the gas user or responsible person refuses an At Risk turn-off, still attach the DANGER DO NOT USE label and complete the warning notice so the warning stays with the appliance, and record the refusal. Calling the Gas Emergency Contact Centre, or the LPG supplier, is the refusal route for ID, not for At Risk.
• A signature on the warning notice records that the person received and understood it; it is not permission to use the appliance. Anything you have turned off or disconnected stays out of use until a competent, Gas Safe registered engineer has repaired it and proved it safe.