A Guide to Ventilation, CO2 Monitoring, and Gas Proving Systems
Food technology areas present a unique gas safety challenge. Unlike a science lab with fixed benches or a commercial kitchen with a large extraction canopy, these rooms often feature multiple domestic-style gas cookers spread throughout the space. This makes it difficult to design a single, cost-effective ventilation system that efficiently removes both the products of combustion and cooking fumes from every appliance.
UK safety standards acknowledge this difficulty and provide specific, technology-led solutions to ensure student and staff safety.
Any mechanical ventilation system (supply or extract fans) must be electronically interlocked with the gas supply. As required by BS 6173:2020, this means the gas can only be turned on if the fans are running. If a fan fails, the gas supply is automatically and safely shut off.
The standard IGEM/UP/11 states that where ventilation requirements may not be fully met, a CO2 monitoring system is a mandatory alternative. This acts as a crucial back-up to ensure air quality remains safe.
Modern best practice for food technology rooms is the installation of a single, centralised control panel. This provides teachers with complete and easy control over the gas supply while incorporating multiple, automated safety features.
Gas proving is a vital safety check, but not all methods are equal. It is important to understand the technology used in your safety system.
This older method takes a "snapshot" of the pressure upstream of the main gas valve, then closes it and looks for a pressure drop downstream to detect a leak.
Weakness: This is considered "assumptive" because it can be fooled. For example, if a gas regulator fails and supply pressure is too high, it might not detect a leak correctly. It is not considered fail-safe if there are certain installation faults.
This modern technique uses sensors to continuously measure the pressure difference across the main gas valve.
Strength: It provides a real-time, accurate safety check and can monitor the main supply pressure without even opening the valve. This method is truly fail-safe and protects against a wider range of potential faults, representing current best practice.