The Heating Appliances (Fireguards) (Safety) Regulations 1991 impose an obligation on suppliers of gas fires and oil heaters to ensure that they comply with British or European Standards to the effect that all gas and oil fires have a fitted fireguard grill around the area of the flame.

The Regulations do not apply to hearth fires that meet certain conditions as set out below.

Supply would include making them available in a residential letting or holiday let.

Most fires and heaters are specifically designed to meet the Regulations with the fire guard built into the design so that there:

is no likelihood of personal injury from burning; and
is no likelihood of ignition of any fabric, by reason of, in either case, contact with or closeness to any flame or any part of the appliance which becomes incandescent.

The Regulations do not apply if the fire meets these design standards.  Oil heaters and used gas fires, which do not satisfy the specific design criteria, must be fitted with a guard that meets the Regulations.

A "gas fire" includes:

a gas burning heating appliance in which the source of the gas is in liquid form or the gas is contained in a portable container; and
a gas burning appliance intended to simulate a solid fuel fire;

A "heating appliance" means a gas fire or oil heater.

"Residential premises" includes premises intended for temporary accommodation except tents but does not include any part of residential premises which consists of out-buildings such as garages or greenhouses.

The fireguard is satisfactory if any vertical bars are 5mm or less apart. Otherwise the guard must not have an opening with:

a major dimension exceeding 125mm, a minor dimension exceeding 12mm and a diagonal dimension exceeding 126mm, or

a major dimension exceeding 50mm, a minor dimension exceeding 20mm and a diagonal dimension exceeding 53mm.

Action:

Ensure that all fires and oil heaters conform to British or European Standards and carry the CE mark.

For information on oil-fired boiliers


Gas Catalytic Heaters:

The Gas Catalytic Heaters (Safety) Regulations 1984 prohibit the supply of heaters that contain asbestos. The DTI and Trading Standards advise that it is best policy to completely avoid supplying any gas catalytic heater in rented accommodation.

Gas Heath Fires:

Gas hearth fires or fires supplied to be installed into a hearth do not have to have a guard provided that the installation meets the following specifications:

The Oil Heaters (Safety) Regulations 1977 apply to paraffin heaters. Controls cover stability, flame extinction and labelling.

The Oil Heaters (Safety) Regulations 1977 apply to paraffin heaters and control the stability, flame extinction and labelling.

If supplying such heaters in rented accommodation or holiday lets there are certain design and performance specifications, which must be compiled with, including:

Labels which warn against:

using petrol as a fuel
carrying the heater when alight
using the heater in an unventilated place
using the heater where it may be exposed to draughts; and
for certain oil heaters, filling when alight.

Warnings and instructions must be set out in legible and durable characters and be displayed upon the heater itself or on a permanently attached label. They should be headed ‘WARNING’ or ‘CAUTION’.

The flame regulator must be easily accessible and capable of easy adjustment when the heater is alight.

Heaters (other than those designed to operate only when fixed to rigid support) must have a self-extinguishing facility so that if overturned whilst alight, the flame will be automatically extinguished within 15 seconds.

Oil heaters with a self-extinguishing facility must carry instructions about attention needed to maintain or restore their self-extinguishing capability.

Heaters designed to stand on floor must be constructed so that when standing unsecured and whether empty or full, they can be titled to an angle of 15 degrees from the vertical in any direction without overturning. They must also have screw holes, a hook and chain or other means of securing them to prevent overturning.

Action:

Ensure that all paraffin heaters comply with British Safety Standards.

For information on oil boilers, oil central heating and installations and the safety storage of oil see Oil-Fired Boilers and Central Heating.