LPG Safety in the Spotlight – What to do in a Gas Emergency!

What is a gas emergency?

All of these are considered a state of emergency.

If you smell gas and suspect a gas leak
If you start to feel unwell when working in an enclosed space with gas appliances and suspect Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
If an accumulation of LPG ignites, and you are faced with tackling a fire and acting swifty to keep people and property safe

LPG is safe, right?

But first why do we always talk about this kind of stuff? LPG is safe right? Isn’t this just scaremongering or getting people to pay for measures they probably won’t ever need?!

Well, 2025 has been a busy year for gas safety! Since the start of the year NCASS has been made aware of numerous gas incidents that have ranged from whole units being decimated by a gas explosion and serious injuries, to third degree burns.

An LPG cylinder caught fire in a food stall in Southall, London in April 2025, injuring several people and closing a public event.

These incidents have been caused by poor installations. For example, poorly maintained or even broken appliances. As well as a lack of LPG safety training and equipment misuse.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is used widely by the mobile catering and street food sector and is fundamentally a safe product if used and maintained correctly. LPG is safe when it is confined to the cylinder or supply pipework. It is what we do with the gas supply and how we interact with it that can make it unsafe.

We must not get complacent of the risks and must always apply the essential safety rules. Which is why as part of national Gas Safety Week we wanted to remind everyone of the risks, how to respond safely in the event of an emergency, and the key things to be aware of when using LPG.

What are the risks?

Risks include gas leaks, fires or flames where they shouldn’t be, the build-up of unburnt gas that could cause explosions, or appliances burning gas incorrectly causing Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Examples of gas leaks

A gas leak where the accumulated gas has managed to catch fire as denoted by the blue vapour.

Bubbles – The leak detection fluid acts as a visual aid to detect gas leaks.

Leak detection fluid used to detect a leak – evidence of a small leak between the supply hose and a generator, denoted by the appearance of bubbles. Remember “Bubbles is troubles”.

An example of a gas leak on a fitting that has become ignited. Ultimately the gas should only be burnt at the burner on the appliance and nowhere else. This is a fire hazard and could also have a catastrophic consequence should the flame arrest up the hose to the cylinder.

What to do in an LPG emergency – Gas Leak!

If you suspect a gas leak it is vital that you act quickly and calmly and observe these steps.

If safe to do so, turn off the appliance(s) and extinguish all naked flames.
DO NOT SMOKE.
Turn off the gas supply by operating the gas Emergency Control Valve (ECV) either at the gas meter or at the LPG Cylinder manifold or the cylinder itself (varying examples are shown below).
Ventilate the area with fresh air by opening windows, doors, hatches and/or panels.
DO NOT operate any electrical lights or sockets as this could cause an explosion with any escaping gas.
Contact the relevant gas emergency number (see key below) and adhere to their advice.

Typical examples of Emergency Control Valves (ECVs)

Daisy wheel on a cylinder – to isolate the supply to a single cylinder supply.

Butterfly valve incorporated as an ECV

Lever valve by a mains gas meter -to isolate the supply at its entrance point into the property

Lever valve at the entrance/exit to the catering area– referred to as an Additional Emergency Control Valve (AECV), to isolate the whole gas supply in an emergency

Gas Emergency Contact Key

These are the gas emergency contacts as outlined on the Gas Safe Register website. It’s important to know where to find these details, but hopefully you will not ever need to use them.

Here are the contact details for the main energy suppliers

What to do in an LPG emergency – Vehicle/Unit fire!

If the vehicle or trailer carrying LPG is involved in an incident that results in a fire (e.g. because of a traffic collision) the following action should be taken.

If appropriate and safe to do, use the dry powder vehicle fire extinguisher to put out fires on tyres, breaks and the engine compartment.
DO NOT attempt to tackle fires in the LPG storage compartment of the vehicle yourself, this must be left to the emergency services!
Evacuate the vicinity, advising others to move away from the vehicle.
Contact the emergency services and advise them that there are LPG cylinders onboard the vehicle.

A catering vehicle on fire

What to do in an LPG emergency – Carbon Monoxide Poisoning!

You cannot see, smell, or taste the poisonous gas, Carbon Monoxide (CO). It can cause serious harm if inhaled over a period of time and in extreme cases it can cause paralysis, brain damage and even death.

We recommend you are familiar with the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning which include:

Headaches or dizziness
Breathlessness
Nausea
Loss of consciousness
Tiredness
Pains in the chest or stomach
Erratic behaviour
Visual problems

The symptoms can be confused with symptoms of the flu, and they can come and go, get worse while in the affected area and then get better once leaving the area.

If you suspect that you are experiencing symptoms of CO poisoning, then immediately:

Turn off all gas appliances
Leave the work area
Get some fresh air
Consult your doctor or go to the hospital and explain your symptoms, they’ll do a blood or a breath test and will advise if you need treatment

Don’t take risks with your health. Protect yourself and your staff.

Following any gas incident or emergency……

DO NOT TURN THE GAS BACK ON! Ensure you contact a Gas Safe Registered engineer to fully inspect and check the entire installation and have any required work completed before you use the installation/appliance(s) again.

Find your nearest Gas Engineer Partner (GEP) – tried and trusted engineers competent in LPG. Log into the members only gas engineer page.

Domestic natural gas engineers can also be found on the Gas Safe Register. Gas Safe Register – The Official List of Gas Safe Registered Businesses

Emergency Planning

Careful and proper management of LPG is key to preventing a fire. However, fires can occur because of other hazards which could then compromise the safety of the LPG. Appropriate fire precautions will vary depending on the business, its set up and its activities. However, they are likely to include:

Provision of suitable fire detection and warning systems to alert staff, the public and adjacent businesses to fires.
Availability of correct firefighting equipment, maintained in good working order.
Staff trained in use of firefighting equipment, emergency evacuation measures/escape routes etc. and fire risk reduction measures.

An emergency plan is needed to make sure that people working in or using a business will know what to do if a fire occurs. It will ensure that people can be safely evacuated.

Procedures should be in place to contact the fire and rescue service without delay and to ensure that the area is evacuated immediately.

Suitable and sufficient firefighting equipment should be in place for extinguishing fires in nearby materials. Make sure everyone in the business knows how to use the fire extinguishers and fire blanket.

Firefighting equipment should be in the vicinity of all areas in which LPG cylinders and appliances are stored and used. However, fires directly involving an LPG cylinder should not be tackled with a fire extinguisher!

LPG Risk Assessment

NCASS have prepared specific fire safety risk assessment templates to support the safe use of LPG which are available on the NCASS member dashboard.

The following NCASS Fire Risk assessment templates are available depending on the business set up:

Use of LPG in tents/ marquees
Use of LPG in vehicles and trailers
Use of LPG in permanent structures

As well as the overarching Health & Safety risk assessment template:

Use of LPG

Ensure the business has appropriately assessed the risks of fire including the arrangements for the safe use of LPG.

Essential LPG Safety Rules

1. Use safe and suitable gas appliances and cylinders

e.g., using commercial grade appliances with conformity marking (e.g., CE/UKCA).

e.g., cylinders that are checked for leaks and are in good condition, free of dents and gouges.

2. Store and site cylinders correctly

e.g., taking into consideration the minimum distances; 1m horizontally and 0.3m vertically between cylinders and an ignitable source and anything that could become an ignitable source including combustible materials, litter and vegetation.

e.g., 2m horizontally from an unstrapped drain, rain gulleys, sunken ground and basements (never store or use below ground).

e.g., securing cylinders from toppling and protecting them from unauthorized tampering.

3. Connect and use appliances correctly

e.g., in a gazebo set up connecting cylinders to appliances with suitable metallic over braided or PVC wrapped flexible hoses and double eared clips.

e.g., ensuring the correct sizing of cylinders to appliances to make sure the gas supply is adequate for the appliance and to prevent incomplete combustion.

4. Maintain adequate ventilation to prevent gas accumulation

e.g., in a gazebo set up ensuring adequate ventilation from openings, removal of side panels as applicable.

e.g., in a vehicle or trailer ensuring there is a suitable mechanical extraction system interlocked to the gas supply where required.

e.g., maintaining the minimum purpose provided permanent natural ventilation in an enclosed space.

5. Ensure appropriate storage of flammable materials and waste

e.g., ensuring the safe suitable storage and containment of waste, combustible materials, and flammable fuels, so as not to become an ignitable source.

6. Have suitable shut down procedures in place to isolate gas supplies

e.g., maintaining individual isolation valves for appliances to shut down the gas supply in the event of a leak.

e.g., maintaining an Emergency Control Valve (ECV) to shut down the entire gas supply quickly in the event of an emergency.

7. Have suitable arrangements in place for those who wish to smoke

e.g., having designated smoking areas for staff far away from LPG supplies.

e.g., having clear “No Smoking” signage in place to alert members of the public to the presence of LPG.

The free guides and articles on the NCASS Gas Hub website will further support your business with understanding and implementing these key requirements.

If in doubt, please give us a call at NCASS.