Heating
Individual heating appliances require particular
care if they are to be used safely, particularly
those which are kept for emergency use during
a power cut or as supplementary heating during
severe weather. The greatest risks arise from lack
of maintenance and staff unfamiliarity with them.
Heaters should be secured in position when in
use and fitted with a fire guard if appropriate.
As a general rule, convector or fan heaters
should be preferred to radiant heaters because
they present a lower risk of fire and injury.
The following rules should be observed:
• All heaters should be kept well clear of
combustible materials and where they do
not cause an obstruction.
• Heaters which burn a fuel should be sited
away from draughts.
• Portable fuel burning heaters (including
bottled gas (LPG)) should only be used in
public areas in exceptional circumstances
and if shown to be acceptable in your risk
assessment.
All gas heating appliances should be used
only in accordance with manufacturer’s
instructions and should be serviced annually
by a competent person.