UK | The Health and Safety Executive on failure to detect dangerous gas due to incorrect specification of sample tube

Gas safety is important for employers especially if you are the landlord of your site. You have a legal duty to repair and maintain gas pipework, flues and appliances, do annual gas safety checks and keep a record of each safety check. During the pandemic, landlords should assess the balance of the risk to the safety of the household and the public presented by the gas system with the risk to tenants’ health from coronavirus. In addition, if your site is conducting any activities related to gas supply or Liquefied Petroleum gas, you should be extra careful with gas safety. HSE recently published a safety alert related to the failure to detect dangerous gas/vapour due to incorrect specification of sample tube. In this case, a gas detector failed to detect a flammable atmosphere. Hot work proceeded based on the false reading. The hot work resulted in the ignition of a flammable atmosphere and a fatal injury. The relevant action required to prevent incidents like this is to operate a function check (often referred to as a ‘bump test’) before each day’s use. Also, sample tubes should be as short as possible to increase the response time. For more information, check the links below.