A survey that was taken recently strongly indicates that a number of small business owners are not doing their part in protecting their employees from certain gas safety risks. One of the most recent surveys that was done revealed that 17 percent of small businesses do not regularly service their appliances, and that just one in five of these businesses claim that they have had problems with these issues recently.

Perhaps one of the more concerning aspects of this survey is that a total of 40 percent of small businesses say they would turn off the electricity on their premises if they were to smell gas.

A few of the businesses involved in this survey said they would attempt to find the cause of the gas leak, and only a couple stated that they would completely close the building in an attempt to contain a possible gas leak.

The survey in question was performed as part of Gas Safety Week, which serves as a way to raise awareness about a number of problems that can arise from a lack of gas safety in homes and workplaces. Over 500 different senior managers of small businesses were interviewed in this survey, and a total of 20 percent said that gas safety related problems had caused issues such as gas leaks and lost income.

It has been firmly established by dozens of professionals that failing to get annual gas safety checks and strictly adhere to certain rules can put dozens or even hundreds of lives in a workplace at risk. These professionals have been urging small businesses to install carbon monoxide detectors on their premises. They have also been encouraging these businesses to routinely check around their gas and water boilers for signs of staining or discoloration of any kind to avoid major safety issues in the future.

Employers are legally required to submit to annual gas safety checks under the Health & Safety at Work Act, but it seems as though a significant number of them are having difficulties with understanding the necessary safety requirements. Research has revealed that almost half of the businesses in a recent study find the safety regulations they read to be highly confusing, and that they would gladly accept help in understanding them more.

Professionals have been telling small and medium-sized businesses that they need to be aware of when their heating systems need to go on and off, and that it is something that’s based on the heating requirements of the business. Another tip that professionals have been emphasizing the importance of is that businesses should have a maintenance contract with a reliable company that responds to calls promptly.

Businesses that fail to get their boilers fixed quickly put the health and safety of themselves and their employees at risk. These recent surveys and studies have revealed just how serious the problem is with regards to small businesses and gas safety, and a big part of the problem seems to be lack of knowledge.