Safety chains.

[Henniker]

Are there any current regulations regarding safety chains on gas cookers. I am going round in circles on this one!

[Ethel]

All gas cookers that are not built in must have either a restraining bracket or a safely chain, to stop it tipping over.

[gucciman]

ethel speaks the truth !

[Henniker]

I am happy with the 'either or' comment, but I recently had a gas safety inspection and was informed that 'in the not too distant future' I will require both.

[Tups]

Nanny State belt and braces again!

[Henniker]

Oh so true, but wouldn't it be nice to be able to find the answer without having to resort to so many searches!

[shylock73]

My cooker is connected with a bayonet fitting and slides in between two work units tightly. Will I have to chain it also?There`s no way it could fall out and over,it`s been there four about ten years with no problems yet.

[gasman]

One or the other is all that is required to current gas safety regulations, I am not aware of any future changes to the current regulations (and I am a CORGI registered Gas Engineer i might add) so I do not know who has told you that you will soon need both as this is just not so...

[jamesisgod]

The only one I can think of it not to eat the chains... You can however wear them as a pretty hat.

[Rtaxron]

Why only gas cookers?

[Henniker]

Thanks for that Gasman, that is all I could find out. However, I should add that I was given this info by the gas safety inspector only a few days ago. I have found the brackets and the chains on a web page, but nothing about what needs to be fitted, as long as the cooker cannot topple over when a 15lbs (or was it Kg) weight is placed on the door.

[gasman]

Yes the whole idea is realy a health and safety issue than a gas safety issue. The idea been that the cooker can not topple over in the event of a small child or toddler climbing on an oven door accidently left open and crushing them or spilling boiling water, Hot food etc... on them from the pans simmering away on the rings. Rtaxron I should imagine that this rule does also apply to electric cookers but am not 100% sure, an electrician will know for sure i will ask my electician friend about this and post back at a later date.

[gucciman]

as far as i know you can use either a bracket or a chain unless the cooker manufacturers instruction/installation book that came with the cooker specifically states that you have to use one the particular type.
i would go for the one which is easiest for you to put on as the majority of cookers i see don't have one at all.

hey gasman, have you heard that Corgi is no more? apparently they have lost the contract and the government in its wisdom has given it to a private profit making firm called Capita. Why they would want to break up the one safety organisation that is know to everyone god only knows but im sure we can expect all the prices to shoot up soon.

[gasman]

Nope my electrician friend has told me that electric cookers do not need a stability device or a safety chain so as to why only gas cookers then i do not know...!!!!

[ryanqueen]

i have a gas cooker and had a chain fitted but when i had my gas safety inspection last year they told me that the law had changed and i have to have one with bracket that screws onto the cooker and now on the hose. i have looked every where for this but can't find it does any one know where i can get this from?
Thanks

[Spikegb]

Gasman, safety chains and stability brackets are indeed gas safety related items and not health and safety as you state. They are in no way meant to protect anyone from the dangers of boiling pans etc, the need for these to be fitted is all to do with protecting the cooker flex in the event that a cooker tips over causing the hose to fracture and cause a gas escape. I have always thought they should be restraining as stability is a misleading term. The regulation harks back to the days when high level cookers were largely fitted with pull down oven doors which afforded substantial leverage and could easily be pulled over however slight the build of the person be it a child climbing on an opened oven door or a frail elderly user collapsing onto the appliance. These instances are much less prevalent with modern cooker design but there are still a few pull down oven doors out there, particularly range type cookers from the European manufacturers. I hope this helps and prevents any non Gas Safe qualified members being misled into thinking that the installation of a bracket or chain has no bearing on gas safety.