As you know, safety is key when working with LPG. We spoke with NCASS Gas Safety Engineer member Richard Stowe from Canary Gas to give you the advice and dos and don’ts when it comes to LPG – here’s what Richard had to say:

One of the first things I say to people who venture into the wilderness of mobile catering is ‘did you not think to take someone like me with you when you went to view the trailer you’ve purchased?’

I use the analogy of ‘you wouldn’t buy a used car without seeking professional advice would you?’ It is a time-old tale that purchasing without proper guidance never ends well.

People can outlay a great deal of hard-earned money on a dream for which they have little or no knowledge. My advice to all readers is to enlist the help of a Gas Safe Registered Catering Engineer who has the relevant qualifications in Commercial Mobile Catering to impart sound advice on all aspects of purchasing a trailer or any other vehicle that is to be used for selling food to the public. We will charge a fee for our time, but it could potentially save hundreds if not thousands of pounds down the line.

Locating a Gas Safety Engineer that is qualified for mobile catering can be difficult as they are few and far between, so the best thing to do is look in the NCASS Engineers Directory or the Gas Safe Register. Either way it is paramount that the Engineer you consult has sufficient and relevant expertise for what you’re after. This specificity is important – a Domestic Engineer would not help in this situation, for example. The crux of it is to always seek expert advice before you part with your money – be smart from the start and make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

Now, let’s look at mobile catering units: No matter what you have – be it a trailer, van or street market marquee, you’re going to need a Gas Safety Certificate before you can trade in the public sector. This is often when we are called out for the first time – after a unit has been purchased and is being set up for use – and become the harbinger of doom in the eyes of these unsuspecting entrepreneurs who unfortunately, and largely unbeknown to them, are much further from compliance than they may believe.

The first thing we look for in trailers and vans is safety, asking does it meet all the current safety standards? For instance, does their gas bottle store provide adequate means of keeping the gas bottles safe and secure? Do the pipe connections from the gas bottles to the inlet manifold meet with current gas safety legislation? Is there sufficient ventilation?

Let’s explore each of these points a little more closely:

Meeting Gas Safety Standards is why you employ an Engineer – so the public don’t have to scramble their brains with the myriad of standards that are required for mobile catering and with the help of a certified expert, you can be assured that you are equipped and ready to trade.
Gas bottle storage is really important, always make sure the compartment is constructed from a strong material and has a minimum fire protection rating of at least 30 minutes – so not flimsy plastic! For best practice, gas bottles should always be stored outside of the cooking unit – NEVER INSIDE.

Have a good look inside and make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the top and bottom of the unit. The bottom ventilation should ideally be in the floor as LPG is heavier than air and will pool at a low level if it’s not dispersed from a contained compartment. It is important to check that the holes have some protection to shield from vermin – they love chewing on a gas hose, which is a problem no one wants to deal with.

Gas bottles must be secured during transit. Most units successfully use a nylon strapping system of varying styles. Try to avoid securing with metal chains as metal against metal is never a good combination in a moving vehicle.
Always be sure to inspect the rubber hoses that are attached to gas bottles; these are black and have a manufacturers date stamped on them. If the date is older than 5 years, they may need replacing.

Attention must also be paid to the valve that regulates the flow of gas coming into your cooking equipment has to be an appropriate regulator for LPG and should be equipped with OPSO (Over-Pressure Shut Off valve) protection – this is a safety feature which is fitted to prevent an over-pressure of gas in the instance that the regulator fails.
It is recommended to have an OPSO valve on all mobile catering units including static marquees.

Preventing a build-up of gas in the unit is of paramount importance: There has to be adequate ventilation inside the cooking area, look beneath the cooking equipment – are there any holes in the floor to allow any excess LPG to vent out, for example?

These holes are normally about 50mm diameter with a vermin guard fitted inside. There should be a high level of ventilation to promote natural air movement inside the unit. How big the air grilles have to be is a calculation completed by a Gas Engineer, as is the requirement for an extraction canopy to evacuate the products of combustion produced in the day-to-day cooking.

Always make sure the cooking equipment has got a CE marking plate so it conforms to rigorous safety standards (or a certificate of European conformity if the data plate is missing). Avoid any catering units that have homemade cooking equipment in them as these seldom have any safety features to protect you and your staff from a potentially dangerous situation, such as a gas escape.

There are many other considerations when purchasing a mobile catering unit, but as forementioned the best advice is to always consult a Gas Safety Engineer for professional advice. The information above should steer you in the right direction on the road to gas safety compliance and hitch-free catering.

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