Cooking Up Safer Mobile LPG Standards For All

For many mobile and outdoor event caterers, LPG remains the primary source of power for cooking, heating, and powering generators.

We all have a responsibility to safeguard the industry as well as to protect the public from harm and ensuring the highest standards of LPG storage and usage are adopted across the entire sector is imperative to that. The potential ramifications of poor LPG usage can result in fatal accidents and consequences.

As an industry, it is vital that we strive to uphold the highest standards when it comes to LPG. We all have a vested interest and it is a collective responsibility that includes not just catering businesses but also event organisers, Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and gas engineers.

Gas safety is a huge priority for us here at NCASS. It will be our focus for the next few years as we formalise our Gas Safety Strategy.

The aim is to work with relevant associations and bring as many people onboard with this mission as possible. We continue discussions with industry bodies. Currently, there are too many inconsistencies in the standards that gas engineers work to, and greater education is needed in order to implement higher and consistent standards for all.

We believe it’s unfair for engineers to follow varying standards or have different interpretations. This can result in different scenarios where an engineer approves something that another engineer doesn’t. This makes it impossible for traders to take responsibility and work to best practice. As an industry we have to do more and be better.

As part of this push, NCASS will be key to delivering a new updated and comprehensive version of the documented gas safety guidance (CoP 24 Part 3) referred to by engineers, to be applied in mobile and street food set ups.

EHOs are tasked with conducting general Health & Safety checks, as such they are facing increasing pressure to understand the difference between safe and unsafe practices and standards when it comes to LPG usage. Stemming from this, we have found more and more local authorities reaching out to us for assistance and training.

We previously mentioned that we would be rolling out a series of gas safety workshops for EHOs. Our LPG training initiative for EHOs has now seen a great take-up. So far, we have trained over 200 officers from across 80 local authorities.

We deliver remote workshops for local authorities and event organisers, providing practical insights, outlining real-life scenarios, addressing common challenges and helping to identify unsafe or dangerous LPG setups. Facilitated by an NCASS Gas Safety Consultant and a qualified LPG engineer with extensive industry experience, these workshops offer invaluable firsthand knowledge on the many nuances of mobile LPG usage.

We will continue to deliver this training throughout 2025, supporting EHOs to develop their understanding of LPG safety and with the identification of unsafe or illegal gas set ups. Click here for more details.

In 2024 we launched our new online Safe Use of LPG in Mobile and Outdoor Catering course. This course enables businesses and employees to effectively undertake day-to-day LPG related tasks safely with confidence.

This course is essential for anyone working with or assessing the suitability of mobile LPG setups. It outlines the key safety rules for using LPG appliances and provides an understanding of handling LPG cylinders in any scenario or environment. It is an imperative qualification for any of your team (where applicable) who works with LPG or helps to setup, as such we would highly recommend you give staff this training.

Fiona West, NCASS Environmental Health Specialist, said:

“The ‘Safe Use of LPG in Mobile and Outdoor Catering’ course and the dedicated workshops aim to fill the knowledge gap and enhance awareness about the safe utilisation of LPG in mobile and outside catering operations. Safety is our top priority and education is key, which is why we’re dedicated to empowering individuals within the industry and providing them with the necessary skills to ensure a secure working environment and improve standards with the overall use of LPG.”

The LPG training course can be accessed through our online training portal and a significant discount is available for all members. Completion of the course will reward you with an accredited certificate, acknowledging your commitment to improving LPG safety standards and protocols.

And finally, we have produced some handy gas safety guides which can be downloaded for free from the NCASS Gas Safety Hub which is packed full of helpful advice and guidance.