Commercial Kitchen Gas Safety in Telford and Shropshire

CombiCert is a Gas Safe registered gas firm based in Telford (register number 621146), and our registration covers commercial catering. We look after the gas in commercial kitchens across Telford and Shropshire: restaurants, cafés, takeaways, pubs, school kitchens and care-home kitchens.

That covers the yearly CP42 inspection, fitting and testing the gas interlock on your extraction, tightness testing and purging of the kitchen pipework, and servicing and repairs on the cooking equipment itself. We work on natural gas and LPG kitchens.

Need a CP42 or a catering gas engineer? Call CombiCert on 07393 220 694 or email hello@combicert.co.uk with the site address and a list of the gas appliances in the kitchen.

Commercial catering is its own category of gas work

Gas Safe registration is not one blanket licence. Engineers are registered for specific types of work, and commercial catering is separate from domestic boilers and from commercial heating. CombiCert’s registration includes commercial catering.

Before anyone works on your kitchen gas, ask to see their Gas Safe ID card and check the back for commercial catering. You can also check any business on the Gas Safe Register website or by calling Gas Safe on 0800 408 5500.

Who is responsible for gas safety in the kitchen

If you run the kitchen, the duty sits with you. Regulation 35 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 says employers and the self-employed must keep gas appliances, flues, pipework and safety devices at their workplace in a safe condition.

HSE guidance for catering says inspection and servicing should follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and that once a year is a reasonable minimum. A kitchen that runs long hours every day may need more.

If you rent the premises, check your lease to see who is responsible for the gas equipment. If there is a flat above the pub or café, or staff live on site, that accommodation needs its own landlord gas safety check every 12 months. See our landlord gas safety certificates page.

CP42 commercial catering gas safety inspections

The CP42 is the form most engineers use to record a gas safety inspection in a commercial kitchen. It does a similar job to the CP12 that domestic landlords use, but it is laid out for a catering kitchen. The law does not name the form. It is the usual written evidence that your gas has been inspected, and it is often what insurers and landlords ask to see.

A CP42 inspection looks at the kitchen as a whole and then at each appliance. Depending on the kitchen, we check:

• the emergency isolation valve for the kitchen: where it is, that it can be reached and that it is labelled
• the gas pipework, including a tightness test
• the canopy, extraction and ventilation, and that the gas interlock works
• each appliance: burners, flame supervision devices, operating pressure, flues where fitted, and the hoses and restraints on appliances that move for cleaning

You get a record listing each appliance and the result. If we find something unsafe, we have to follow the gas industry’s unsafe situations procedure. That can mean an appliance is turned off until it is put right. We will show you the problem, explain why and give you a price for the repair.

Gas interlocks and kitchen extraction (BS 6173)

BS 6173 is the British Standard for installing and maintaining gas catering appliances. Where a kitchen has mechanical extraction, it calls for an interlock between the fans and the gas supply. If the extraction stops, or the airflow drops too low, the interlock shuts off the gas to the cooking equipment.

The reason is simple. Gas cooking gives off carbon dioxide and heat, and can produce carbon monoxide if burners are not burning properly. Without the fans running, these can build up in a kitchen quickly.

A typical interlock has a gas valve on the kitchen supply, a way of sensing that the fans are running, and a reset button. Many also have gas pressure proving, which checks the pipework holds pressure before gas is let back through. That picks up a burner tap left on or a leaking hose. Some kitchens also have carbon dioxide monitoring linked to the gas supply.

We fit gas interlock systems, and we test and repair existing ones. Things we get asked about:

• Bypassing the interlock is not allowed. HSE guidance says manual bypasses are not permitted. If the interlock keeps tripping, the fault needs finding.
• Nuisance trips often start with the extraction. Blocked filters, fan faults and failed airflow sensors are common causes. Keeping the canopy and fans maintained helps.
• Older kitchens without an interlock. BS 6173 is not retrospective, so an older kitchen is not automatically unsafe. HSE says the risk still needs assessing. We look at the ventilation, the size of the room and how the kitchen is used, and tell you straight whether we recommend fitting one. If you go ahead, we can fit it.
• Refits and new canopies. If you are refitting the kitchen, adding gas appliances or changing the extraction, plan for an interlock that meets the current standard. We can fit it as part of the job.

Tightness testing and purging

Commercial gas pipework is tested and purged to procedures published by the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM). IGE/UP/1 covers industrial and commercial installations. IGE/UP/1A covers smaller low-pressure natural gas installations, up to 1 cubic metre of pipework volume. The very smallest installations come under IGEM/UP/1B. Which procedure applies depends on the gas (natural gas or LPG), the size of the pipework and the pressure, so we work that out on site before testing.

A tightness test is needed:

• before work on existing pipework
• after new pipework or alterations
• where there is a suspected leak or a complete loss of pressure
• before pipework is purged

Purging clears air out of the pipework so appliances light and run safely, or clears gas out when a section is taken out of use. It is needed after new pipework, alterations or a complete loss of pressure. You get a written record of the test and the purge.

For commercial gas work outside the kitchen, see our light commercial gas services or commercial gas and plant rooms pages.

LPG catering kitchens

Some takeaways, pubs and rural kitchens run on LPG rather than mains gas. We work on LPG catering installations as well as natural gas, including CP42 inspections, interlocks, tightness testing and appliance repairs. Tell us which gas the kitchen uses when you get in touch.

Servicing and repairs on catering appliances

We service and repair commercial gas catering equipment such as ranges, ovens, fryers, griddles and grills. Common faults include:

• burners or pilots that will not light or will not stay lit
• flame failure devices and thermocouples
• thermostats and temperature control
• gas valves and ignition parts
• low gas pressure at the appliance

New catering appliances come with flame supervision devices, which shut the gas off if the flame goes out. HSE guidance says ovens built without them should have been upgraded or replaced by now. If we find one, we will tell you.

Some parts are specific to one manufacturer and have to be ordered. We tell you the cause and the price before doing any chargeable work.

Daily checks for kitchen staff

HSE guidance says staff who use gas equipment should be trained to spot obvious faults: damaged pipework or hoses, flame failure devices not working, missing restraints on appliances that move, castor locks not working, and any smell of gas.

Staff who have been shown how can disconnect and reconnect plug-in gas hoses to move equipment for cleaning. Fitting and commissioning a new appliance is a job for a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Kitchens we work in

• Restaurants and cafés
• Takeaways
• Pubs and hotels
• School kitchens
• Care-home kitchens
• Staff canteens

Our commercial catering work includes work for KFC.

We cover Telford and the rest of Shropshire. See our local pages for Wellington, Newport, Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. If the heating boiler in the same building needs work, see our light commercial gas services.

If you smell gas

Turn off the kitchen emergency isolation valve if it is safe to do so. Open doors and windows. Do not use electrical switches or naked flames. Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Book a CP42 or report a fault

Send us the site address, whether the kitchen runs on natural gas or LPG, a list of the gas appliances (make and model if you have them), whether there is an interlock panel, and the date of your last CP42. Contact us or call 07393 220 694.

Commercial kitchen gas FAQs

Is a CP42 a legal requirement?

The law does not name the CP42 form. It does require employers and the self-employed to keep gas appliances, flues, pipework and safety devices in a safe condition (Regulation 35 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998). HSE guidance says a yearly inspection is a reasonable minimum. The CP42 is the usual way that inspection is recorded.

How often should a commercial kitchen have a gas safety inspection?

At least once a year. More often if the manufacturer’s instructions say so or the kitchen is used heavily.

Our kitchen has no gas interlock. Do we have to fit one?

Not automatically. BS 6173 is not retrospective, but the risk still needs assessing. Depending on what we find, we may recommend fitting one, and we can fit it for you. If you are refitting the kitchen or changing the extraction, plan for one.

The extraction fan has failed. Can we override the interlock and keep cooking?

No. HSE guidance says manual bypasses are not permitted. The gas stays off until the extraction is working again. Call us and we will check whether the fault is on the gas side or the fan side.

Do you work on LPG kitchens?

Yes. We work on LPG catering installations as well as natural gas.

Do you do the gas safety check for the flat above the pub?

Yes. Residential accommodation, including staff and tied accommodation, needs a landlord gas safety check every 12 months. See our landlord gas safety certificates page.