The CEA’s “Industrial Gas Accreditation Scheme” (I-GAS) provides a comprehensive qualification for Maintenance Personnel, Technicians, Engineers and Designers of Industrial Gas Systems.
People in factories often think they are exempt from the ‘Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998’ (GSIUR) but they are wrong, the paragraph in blue below is a direct extract from the regulations and is key to helping people understand their need for compliance with the regulations.
Regulation 3 of the GSIUR states:
“Gas work for those working at premises that fall outside the scope of the Regulations should only be undertaken by a person who has successfully completed an appropriate full training course followed by an assessment of competence”.
Launched in March 2017 I-GAS has been created by gas experts to fill this industrial training and assessment gap. It was created in collaboration with industrial gas training providers/centres, manufacturers of combustion equipment, and a broad spectrum of employers across industry to make sure it was fit for purpose.
The only formal training and accreditation scheme currently available which is specifically designed for maintenance staff and technicians working with gas in industrial premises.
Since the launch of I-GAS many candidates have started their progression through or have completed their I-GAS qualification to their desired level, these include many industrial sectors:
- Paper Mills
- Car Manufacturers
- Food Processing/manufacturing
- Water companies
- Packaging
- Boiler Manufacturers
- Burner Manufacturers
- Potteries
Q. If I am working in a factory am I exempt? No.
Q. If I’m working in a Hospital am I exempt?
Possibly not, if the site has an energy center remote and away from the residential aspects of the hospital you are not exempt, if its in the residential part of a hospital where people sleep, or any other building of this type you must by law have Gas Safe Registration. However, you must decide if Gas Safe is enough for the work you are carrying out.
Q. But I’ve been working on gas for years why do I need I-GAS?
In today’s world of work a key word that is used constantly is Competence, in law competence is defined as Education, Training and Experience. So ask yourself the question, how could I prove I’m competent working on gas equipment if there was an accident/ incident and HSE were on site?
Q. I’m a contractor and have worked on all sorts of sites and equipment why do I need I-GAS?
That choice is yours, but where more and more companies are now asking for proof of competence for anybody working on their site when calling in contractors to do gas or other work, they are responsible for you and their own employees safety.
For further information on the I-GAS courses please click here