Gas Safety Regulations 2018 published

As at 22 October 2018, two sets of gas safety regulations under the Gas Safety Act 1997 come into effect to replace three sets of gas safety regulations. The new regulations are:

• Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018, which replaces the 2008 version.
• Gas Safety (Safety Case) Regulations 2018, which replaces the 2008 version.

The third set of regulations which have been replaced is the Gas Safety (Gas Quality) Regulations 2017. Most of the provisions from the Gas Safety (Gas Quality) Regulations 2017 have been included in the new Gas Safety (Safety Case) Regulations 2018 as they are largely of interest to the same stakeholders. One provision relating to the supply of LPG has been included in the Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018 given it has broader application across the gas supply industry. For all other legislation administered by ESV, click here.

Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations 2018

The primary objective of the Regulations are to reduce the risks associated with the use of gas appliances and gasfitting work, and to ensure that controls on gas appliances and complex gas installations operate efficiently. Click hereto see the new Gas Safety (Gas Installation) Regulations.

Gas Safety (Safety Case) Regulations 2018

The regulations require gas companies – including natural gas transmission and distribution companies, gas retailers and LP Gas businesses – to submit a safety case to ESV and to comply with an accepted safety case. The Gas Safety Act 1997 also allows submission of safety cases for complex gas installations on a voluntary basis and permits complex gas installation operators and Type B gas appliance manufacturers to seek exemption from prescriptive compliance requirements. The primary objective of the Regulations are to prescribe content requirements for safety cases and safety management systems, standards of gas quality and requirements for testing of gas conveyed through pipelines, and requirements for reporting of gas incidents to ESV. Click here to see the new Gas Safety (Safety Case) Regulations.

Safety case policy and guidelines

In addition to the new regulations, ESV has published two key documents which support the application of the safety case regime.

• Gas and Pipeline Infrastructure Safety Case Policy. This document explains how ESV intends to interpret and apply the safety case regime, and clarify what is intended to be achieved through compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Click here to see the policy.
• Gas Safety Case Preparation and Submission for Facilities and Pipelines Guidelines. This document is intended to help you better understand how to develop and comply with an accepted safety case are also available today. Click here to see the guidelines.