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1. Scope of Policy
1.1 The Gas Safety Management Policy sets out the roles and responsibilities within the Council for the achievement of gas safety and adherence to statutory responsibilities.
2. Legal Context
2.1 The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 set out the requirements for landlords to inspect and service gas installations on an annual basis. These sit within the wider context of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
2.2 The Moray Council’s Health and Safety Management System sets out the responsibilities of key Council personnel in relation to health and safety issues.
2.3 The Director of Community Services and the Director of Environmental Services are required to:
3. Gas Safety Management
3.1 In relation to Gas Safety Management, the principal responsibilities are:
3.2 Chief Housing Officer
The Chief Housing Officer has overall responsibility for managing all aspects of gas safety within the Housing Service. This includes the provision of adequate financial and human resources to ensure, so far as is reasonably practical, that gas systems are installed and maintained in compliance with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. The Chief Housing Officer will identify specific responsibilities to the Housing Programmes Manager, the Senior Area Housing Manager, the DLO General Manager and the Property Manager.
3.4 Housing Programmes Manager
The Housing Programmes Manager will ensure that gas safety management policy and operational procedures are kept up to date with any legislative or good practice changes. The Manager will ensure that these are communicated to all staff involved with gas safety management. He will also ensure that resources are made available to provide training to staff to enable them to fulfil their duties in relation to gas safety.
3.5 Senior Area Housing Manager
The Senior Area Housing Manager will ensure that adequate resources are available in each area to manage gas safety in accordance with agreed procedures. He will also ensure that Area Housing Managers report decisions relating to gas safety and that dangerous incidents are reported. He will ensure that Housing and Access Point staff are aware of any changes in legislation and procedures relating to gas safety.
3.6 DLO General Manager
The DLO General Manager will ensure that any risk in respect of gas safety is identified, prior to the execution of any repair or maintenance operation.
He will be responsible for providing the services of an appropriately qualified member of staff to carry out the implementation of the gas installation servicing, safety inspection and repair contract, in accordance with good practice and current legislation.
He will ensure that all persons carrying out work on gas appliances, installations and fittings are competent and registered with the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI), with regular quality monitoring and training reviews carried out.
He will also ensure that all records to be maintained by the DLO, as the Gas Servicing and Repairs contractor, are maintained appropriately and are current and accurate.
3.6 Property Manager
The Property Manager will ensure that contractual arrangements made with contractors to carry out gas installations servicing, safety inspections and repairs comply with current legislation and good practice to ensure each property is maintained and a safety check is carried out every 12 months, and that there is compliance with the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He will be responsible for providing the services of an appropriately qualified member of staff to carry out quality monitoring of the work of contractors appointed to implement the gas installation servicing, safety inspection and repair contract. In relation to new installations or any contract that might have an effect on gas, the above arrangements will apply. He will be responsible for ensuring that appropriately qualified personnel carry out quality control checks.
The Property Manager will be responsible for ensuring that new gas installations are designed to comply with all current legislation and mandatory guidance. He will also ensure that there is compliance with gas safety regulations in all work that may have an impact on gas safety maintenance contracts.
4. Operational procedures
4.1 Procedures have been prepared for the management of gas installation servicing, safety inspection and repairs. Operational procedures are also in place for the transfer of new gas heating installations from the installing contractor to the contractor appointed to carry out gas installations, safety inspections and repairs servicing contractor. These procedures are incorporated into gas installations contract documents.
4.2 The installation of new gas heating systems that are installed on a one off basis as a result of system failure or because of the medical needs of the tenant are also covered by procedures agreed between Housing and Property Services.
Advice to tenants on gas safety issues is given at the new tenancy interview and is contained in the Tenants Handbook that all new tenants receive.
4.3 All procedures will be reviewed on an annual basis.
5. Training
5.1 All Housing and Access Point staff who may have to deal with any aspect of gas safety in their day to day work will attend gas safety awareness training. This will be supplemented by additional training if new legislation or regulations are introduced. Training for Housing and Access Point staff who receive repairs from tenants will include specific reference to the arrangements for dealing with repairs to gas installations.
5.2 All Housing Staff who have to deal with risk assessment in relation to gas safety will receive appropriate training.
Appropriate training will be arranged by the Property Manager for staff involved in the production of gas installation designs, preparation of specifications and inspection of appliances.
5.3 The Housing Programmes Manager will maintain records of training for Housing and Access Point Staff. The Property Manager will maintain records of training for Property Services staff.
6. Monitoring Performance
6.1 The Housing Programmes Manager will monitor the programmes for gas installation servicing and safety inspection in each Area to ensure that landlord’s obligations are met. A report on progress will be submitted to each Gas Contract Management meeting.
6.2 An agreed percentage of gas installation servicing and repairs work will be monitored for quality by an appropriately qualified member of staff from Property Services or through an appropriately qualified person contracted by the Property Manager.
6.3 An annual audit of administrative procedures will be carried out by nominated staff in Property Services, the Building Direct Labour Organisation and the Housing Service to ensure that the requirements of gas and health and safety regulations are being met. A report on this audit will be prepared for the Chief Housing Officer.
Performance indicators will be developed for gas installation servicing and safety inspection. Initially these will include:
6.4 Formal quality monitoring systems for monitoring contractors installing gas heating systems will be implemented as part of the agreed capital programme monitoring arrangements.
6.5 This Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis through the Gas Contract Monitoring Meeting.