Hi all
I have had a quick search on the subject and not been able to find any similar conversations in the forum so here goes.......
Can anyone privde me a link or information to look up with regards to gas interlocks for ovens and grills in catering kitchens. The query I have is with regards to fitting retrospectively and when does this become a requirement? I have had a report from our gas service suppliers that it is now required but can't find any information on it in the HSE catering guidance, etc.
Any help much appreciated.
Thanks

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cais10.pdf

If it serves a critical flue purpose for compliance, then it requires interlocking under the Gas Safety Regs 1998.

Hi MEden380, yes it is the ventilation I am referring to. Is the requirement in the BS for all situations or just those fitted after the date of the BS? I have been told that it's only for if it was fitted post 2001 (or by someone else if it was fitted post 2009). The service sheet that we've been given refers to some sort of grace period of 16 years??
Thanks

As flame failure devices for gas ovens and grills, whether commercial or domestic, have almost certainly been a requirement for many years I guess this topic is actually about interlocking between the gas supply and extract ventilation in commercial kitchens. In my former employment involving a local authority's schools I received numerous complaints some years ago from staff in their kitchens about such interlocking which, in some cases, had resulted in staff having to work in what were effectively noisy wind tunnels even if they were using just one burner of a gas cooker. Also, in some cases, I vaguely recall problems arising from the fact that inadequate provision had been made to enable air to enter the kitchens and replace what the extract ventilation systems were trying to suck out!

At the time I questioned whether or not such interlocking was obligatory and seem to recall learning that being told that it had been 'strongly advised' by a British Standard or similar. Unfortunately I'm now retired so no longer have access to my notes from dealing with the kitchens. However, I think the main remedy for the kitchens with problems was the addition of controllers which staff could use to adjust the speed of their extract ventilation systems to match the level of gas usage.

Another possible element seemed to be the fact that kitchen staff had little or no prior notice and explanation about the purpose of interlocking except perhaps that it was required for "health and safety". Well, I don't think anyone consulted my colleagues or I beforehand, so the matter was news to us as well. Also, I remember being sceptical about the spending of considerable money on what seemed to be the imposition of unnecessary interlocking systems in at least some if not more of the kitchens.

Graham B

p.s. As regards flame failure devices for ovens and grills, I never had any issue about the need for them. The notes made by my predecessors about school kitchens mentioned investigations of a number of incidents in which kitchen staff suffered singed faces and arms through the unexpected ignition of accumulations of gas inside ovens following problems with getting the oven burners lit. Furthermore, my predecessors had rightly pressed for a programme of having flame failure devices installed in older ovens which didn't already have them.

In my earlier posting I omitted to mention that another very valid complaint raised by the staff in school kitchens about the interlocking systems foisted upon them was that the extract ventilation systems without speed controllers also negated whatever heating systems were provided in them. In some of the kitchens the heating provision was quite poor because architects and designers had wrongly perceived that the kitchens were constantly kept warm by heat from ovens and cookers, etc. Well, such appliances are not used constantly and therefore alternative heating needs to be available for use when staff are doing food preparation work before using the appliances and while washing up, etc., after having served the meals.

Graham B

p.s. For kitchens with inadequate heating, the old adage "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" should be adapted to include cold as well as heat!!! :-(